Recipe: ARISI UPMA (அரிசி உப்பூமா)

I never used to like Arisi Upma much when my mother used to make it at home. I realise that as I get older, I enjoy the traditional recipes of my home town more and have learned to appreciate them over the years. I recently made Arisi Upma for my family and it was an instant hit.

Ingredients:

Rice (ஆரிசி) – 1 cup
Tur Dal (துவாரம் பருப்பு) – ½ cup
Water – 3 cups
Green Chillies (பச்சை மிளகாய்) – 2 (cut in twos)
Red Chillies (வெத்த மிளகாய்) – 2 (cut in twos)
Curry leaves (கருவேப்பிலை) – A few
Mustard Seeds (கடுகு) – 1 tsp
Channa Dal (கடலை பருப்பு) – 1 tbsp
Urad Dal (உளுத்தம் பருப்பு) – 1 tbsp
Asafoetida (பெருங்காயம்) – ¼ tsp
Grated Coconut (துருவிய தேங்காய்) – 3 tbsp
Oil – 3 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Coarse grind the tur dal and rice to the texture of rava. (Run the dal separately first before adding the rice to it as the former takes longer to grind).
2. Heat a saucepan and add the oil to it. When hot, crackle the mustard seeds in it. As they are crackling, add the channa dal and urad dal to the oil. Keep the gas on medium flame.
3. As the dals turn red, add both the chillies and curry leaves and stir well.
4. Add the asafoetida at this point and stir.
5. Now add the grated coconut and turn once before adding the water. Keep the flame high.
6. Add salt to the mixture.
7. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the flame and add the dry rice-dal powder.
8. Mix well and switch the gas off.
9. Pour the whole mixture in a vessel and add ghee to it and mix well.
10. Place it in a pressure cooker and cook it for three whistles. Alternately, if you have an electric cooker, you can cook it in that for about 15 minutes.

The yummy Arisi Upma is ready to eat now. Arisi Upma tastes great whether hot or cold. Katharikkaai Gothsu compliments this dish perfectly.

Recipe: MAMBAZHAPPACHIDI (மாம்பழப்பச்சிடி)

Puthaandu Nal Vazhthukkal! (That's HAPPY NEW YEAR in Tamil)

The summer has started with a bang and with it comes along the king of fruits – mango. I simply love them and so does a huge part of the world population. Raw mangoes can be pickled in various ways. While eating a ripe mango all by itself is a treat in itself, this recipe of Mango Pachidi is simply yummy.
 
This is a traditional recipe from Tamil Nadu that is made on the Tamil New Year’s Day or Varusha Pirappu in mid-April. This year the Tamil New Year’s Day falls on April 13, 2012, that's today.

INGREDIENTS:

Ripe Mangoes – 1 kg (peeled and cut into cubes) (you can also use half-ripe mangoes if you like a slightly sour taste)
Jaggery – 200 gm
Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
Red Chillies – 2 (broken into 2-3 pieces each)
Salt – a small pinch
Water – 2 cups
Ghee – 1 tsp

*Alternate measurements – Mango cubes – 5 cups & Jaggery – 1 cup

METHOD:

1. Take a thick bottomed vessel or a saucepan and cook the mango cubes in the water along with a pinch of salt. The mango pieces should just turn soft before the gas is switched off. If you cook for too long, the whole mixture will turn into pulp and we don’t want that to happen.
2. Melt the jaggery in a few spoons of water and filter it for impurities.
3. Add the melted jaggery to the cooked mango and allow the mixture to boil together for 3-4 minutes before switching off the gas.
4. Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a saucepan and add the mustard seeds. Wait for it to crackle before adding the red chillies.
5. Add this to the mango jaggery mixture and mix well.

The super-delicious Mango Pachidi is ready to eat. Serve it hot or chilled, whichever way you like it.

Recipe: AVIAL (அவியல்)

This is yet another traditional recipe from Tamil Nadu and I have seen my grandmother and mother making this 2-3 times in a year. This is a rich dish and as it used to be made only on rare occasions, I had always thought that it is difficult to make.

My sister Lakshmi de-mystified my beliefs and showed me how simple preparing Avial is. This is basically a mix of many vegetables (usually those grown in Tamil Nadu), coconut paste and beaten curd.

INGREDIENTS:

Note: Vegetables - try to cut them all in even sizes – 1” pieces. This ensures that the Avial is a treat to the eyes too.

Peel and cut the following:

1. Pumpkin (பூஷணிக்காய்) (सफ़ेद भोपला) – 250 gm
2. Yellow Pumpkin (பரங்கிக்காய்) (पीला भोपला) – 250 gm
3. Carrot (காரட்) (गाजर) – 1
4. Elephant foot Yam (சேனைகிழங்கு) (सुरन) – 200 gm
5. Green Bananas (வாழைக்காய்) (कच्चा केला) – 2 small
6. Yam (சேப்பங்கிழங்கு) (अर्भी) – 6 medium
7. Potato (உருளைகிழங்கு) (बटाटा) – 2 medium

Also add these:

1. Small Brinjal (சின்ன கத்தரிக்காய்) (छोटा बैंगन) – 2
2. Indian Bean Seeds (மொச்சை கொட்டை) (पोव्टा) – 200 gm

FOR THE GRAVY:

1. Green Chillies (பச்சை மிளகாய்) (हरी मिर्ची) – 6-8 (depending on how spicy you like your food)
2. Grated coconut (திருவிய தேங்காய்) (नारियल) – 1 large cup
3. Rice (அரிசி) (चावल) – 2 tsp

Avial with Tamarind Rice & Coconut Rice

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

1. Curd (தயிர்) (dahi) – 1 large cup
2. Coconut oil (தேங்காய் எண்ணெய்) (कोपरे का तेल) – 4 tbsp
3. Curry Leaves (கருவேப்பிலை) (कदिपत्ता) – a handful
4. Salt to taste (உப்பு தேவையான அளவு) (नमक स्वाद अनुसार)

METHOD:

1. Soak the rice in water for about half an hour.
2. Take a large thick bottomed vessel or saucepan and keep it on the gas.
3. Wash all the vegetables and add them to the pan. Sprinkle salt on it, add 2-3 glasses of water and cook it on a slow fire.
4. This might take a while. Stir from time to time making sure that the vegetables don’t get smashed. I am not too keen on pressure cooking the vegetables as they all get smashed beyond recognition.
5. Grind the three ingredients (green chillies, coconut and soaked rice) for the gravy after adding some water. This should be a smooth paste. Add this to the cooked vegetables and allow it to boil for 3-4 minutes.
6. Beat the curd in the mixer and add this also to the vegetables and cook for two more minutes.
7. Add coconut oil and curry leaves to the Avial and mix well before switching off the gas.

This super-duper mixed vegetable from Tamil Nadu called Avial tastes absolutely delicious along with Tamarind Rice and Coconut Rice. It tastes fabulous with Ven Pongal too. Avial can also be used as a side dish with rotis or puris.

Recipe: Milagai Podi (மிளகாய் பொடி)

This is a spicy chutney powder that is eaten with idli and dosa. I simply love to have it with even rotis and bread toast. You need to add til oil to it while serving.

Ingredients:

1. Mustard Seeds (கடுகு) (राइ) - 1/4 cup
2. White Sesame Seeds (வெள்ளை எள்ளு) (सफ़ेद तिल) - 1/2 cup
3. Channa Dal (கடலை பருப்பு) (चन्ना दाल) - 1 cup
4. Urad Dal (உளுத்தம்பருப்பு) (उरद दाल) - 1 cup
5. Chutni Dal (பொட்டுகடலை) (भूना चन्ना दाल) - 1 cup (optional)
6. Groundnuts (வேர்கடலை) (सींगदाने) - 1 cup (optional)
7. Asafoetida (பெருங்காயப்பொடி) (हिंग) - 2 tbsp
8. Jaggery (வெல்லம்) (गुर) - 1/2 cup
9. Salt to taste
10. Til Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) (तिल का तेल) - 5 tsp
11. Red Chillies (வெத்த மிளகாய்) (लाल मिर्ची) - 150 gm (if very spicy, take less)

Method:

1. Take a saucepan and roast the mustard seeds and sesame seeds separately till they crackle and keep aside in a steel bowl.

2. Add one tsp oil each time and roast the dals one by one till golden brown in colour. Keep adding these to the bowl.

3. Take the last spoon of oil and roast the red chillies in it. Make sure that they don't turn too dark or black. This will spoil the colour of the chutney.

4. Allow all of these to cool down before coarse grinding in the mixer.

5. Add the jaggery, asafoetida and salt in between and grind those too.

6. Mix everything thoroughly before storing in an air-tight container after the mixture cools down.

The red chutney powder is ready for use and can be stored for about a couple of months. Use it along with til oil when you serve idlis or dosas. Tastes absolutely yummy!

Recipe: THENGAAI BOLI (தேங்காய் போளி)

Dough with oil in the centre

This is one of my favourite sweet dishes. I learnt this from my grandmother. Pattu Paati was quite an expert at making this and this rare treat was made maybe once or twice every year as there is a lot of work involved. This was especially so as our family was quite big and we used to have guests too on a daily basis.

I made this recently a couple of days after Ganesh Chaturthi and we all enjoyed this delicious treat.

INGREDIENTS:    

Sweet filling (Poornam)

Grated Coconut (திருவிய தேங்காய்) – 1 cup
Jaggery (வெல்லம்) – ¾ cup
Channa Dal (கடலை பருப்பு) – ½ cup
Cardamom (ஏலக்காய்) – 8
Maida (மைதா) – 1 cup
Oil (எண்ணெய்) – 6 tbsp
Salt (உப்பு) – 1 pinch
Turmeric Powder (மஞ்சப்பொடி) – 1 pinch
Water (தண்ணீர்) – as required
Ghee (நெய்)– 2 tsp

METHOD:

Plastic sheet coated with ghee

1. Add water, salt and turmeric powder to the maida and mix well to make dough to the consistency of making rotis. Knead well for 10 minutes to make it soft. Make a hole in the centre of the dough and pour the oil in it. Cover with a plate and keep aside for 3-4 hours. This will make sure that the bolis turn out very well.
2. Boil the Channa Dal in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles, drain the water and keep aside.
3. Break the jaggery into small pieces, add a few spoons of water to it and boil it on slow fire. Once melted, filter the melted jaggery for impurities.

Poornam balls 

4. Take a saucepan and heat on slow fire. Add the melted jaggery, channa dal and grated coconut and cook for 5-6 minutes.
5. Cool the mixture, add the cardamom and run it in the mixture to make a smooth paste. In case the mixture is not firm, cook it in the saucepan until it becomes so. This forms the filling for the boli and it has to be firm to ensure that the bolis turn out properly.
6. Make small balls of the sweet mixture (poornam பூர்ணம்), the size of a big lemon.
7. Take a square of plastic and spread it on the stone that is used for rolling out rotis. You can use a milk pouch or the bread pouch that I did. The plastic needs to be thick. Touch your fingers to the ghee and apply thinly on the sheet.

Preparing the boli

8. Heat an iron griddle or a non-stick one on a slow fire. The latter is better as you don’t need to use oil or ghee at all. Can make the bolis dry.
9. Mix the oil and dough well. It must be quite loose by now. Take a piece of dough the size of a small lemon and spread it in a small circle with your hand on the plastic sheet.
10. Place the ball of sweet mixture at the centre of the dough. Lift the edges of the dough around the poornam. Ensure that the dough covers the poornam completely.
11. Now flatten this gently with your hand as much as you can. Make sure that the poornam does not flow out of the dough.

Lift the edges of the dough 

12. Lift the plastic and gently move the boli to the non-stick griddle.
13. Cook well on both sides till they turn a golden brown.
14. Remove and store in a container.
15. Serve with melted ghee.

The melt-in-the-mouth Thengaai Boli tastes simply delicious. It tastes best hot. The bolis can be stored for maximum 24 hours.

The boli is spread, transferred to tawa and cooked till golden brown

Recipe: SAKKARAI PONGAL (சக்கரை பொங்கல்)

Wish all my readers a VERY HAPPY PONGAL!

Sakkarai Pongal or Sweet Pongal is the main prasadham that is made on Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival that is celebrated to thank the Sun God for the bounty one has received in the form of food grains.

Incidentally, while Sakkarai means sugar in Tamil, the word is used her to describe the sweetness of the dish. It is actually Jaggery that is used and not sugar.

I bring to you this recipe that is a favourite with all my family members. I make this in my own style after learning from both my mother and mother-in-law.

Ingredients:

அரிசி - Rice - 1 cup
பயத்தம் பருப்பு - Moong Dal - 1 cup
வெல்லம் - Jaggery - 2 1/2 cups
ஏலக்காய் பொடி - Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp
நெய் - Ghee - 1/2 cup
பால் - Milk - 1/2 cup
முந்திரி பருப்பு - Cashewnuts - 10 (cut into pieces)
கிஸ்மிஸ் - Raisins - 20

Method:

1. Pressure cook the rice and dal till the cooker gives off three whistles.
2. Melt the jaggery in half a cup of water and filter it and keep aside.
3. Take a saucepan and heat a spoon of ghee in it. Add the cashewnuts and shallow fry till golden brown. Add the kismis at this point, turn a couple of times and keep the mixture aside.
4. Heat the rest of the ghee in the saucepan and add the melted jaggery to it and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the gas flame.
5. Gently mix the rice and dal before adding them to the boiling ghee-jaggery mixture on the gas.
6. While the above mixture is cooking, add the milk to it. Ensure that the milk is pre-boiled so that it does not get spoilt when coming in touch with the jaggery. (That can happen at times).
7. Cook well, stirring on and off till the mixture gets to the consistency of halwa.
8. Switch off the gas, add the cardamom powder and remove it to a serving vessel.
9. Garnish with the roasted cashewnuts and raisins.

Enjoy the yummy Sakkarai Pongal after offering prasadham to Sun God.

Wish you all a HAPPY PONGAL once again!

Recipe: KATHARIKKAAI PULI GOTHSU (கத்தரிக்காய் புளி கொத்சு)

Katharikkaai Puli Gothsu

I learned this in my mother’s kitchen. She used to make many variants of the big brinjal that is usually used in North India to make Baingan Bartha.

In Chennai, the large brinjal comes in many forms and shapes – both purple and green in colour. Each one has a subtle flavour of its own. Here, in Mumbai, I am used to making these dishes with the large purple brinjal that you see in the picture.

This recipe is one of my favourites…



Ingredients:

பெரிய கத்தரிக்காய் - Purple Brinjal – 2 (weighs about ½ kg)
புளி - Tamarind – 1 small ball (about the size of a lemon)
கடுகு - Mustard (राइ) – ½ tsp
பச்சை மிளகாய் - Green Chillies – 2 (cut into pieces)
வெத்த மிளகாய் - Red Chillies – 2 (cut into pieces)
கருவேப்பிலை - Curry Leaves – a few
வெந்தயப்பொடி - Methi Powder – ¼ tsp
மஞ்சப்பொடி - Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
பெருங்காயப்பொடி - Asafoetida (हिंग) – ¼ tsp
மிளகாய் பொடி - Chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
நல்லெண்ணை - Til Oil – 2 tbsp
உப்பு - Salt to taste

Method:

1. Smear the brinjals with a thin coating of oil and roast over slow flame, turning it from time to time. You can hold it by the thick stem and turn the brinjal. Cook till it turns black on the outside and soft within. Keep aside to cool.
2. Peel the brinjals, touching water from time to time so that the blackened skin does not stick. Once done, cut of the stem, slit the cooked brinjal in half to check for worms. Using a masher, mash the brinjals into pulp.
3. Extract two cups of tamarind juice by squeezing the tamarind in water.
4. Take a saucepan and heat the oil in it. Once hot, add the mustard and let it crackle. Then add both the red and green chillies and curry leaves and mix.
5. Add the four powders and mix well on a slow flame.
6. Then add the tamarind juice and salt. Allow this to boil for about 4-5 minutes.
7. Then add the mashed brinjal to the saucepan and mix well. Let the mixture cook on a slow flame for another 4-5 minutes. The mixture will thicken. Then switch off the stove.

The Katharikkaai Puli Gothsu is ready to eat with Rice/Idli/Dosa as you prefer. It tastes simply yummy!

Recipe: VEN PONGAL & GOTHSU

Ven Pongal & Gothsu

With the advent of Pongal Pandigai (festival), I thought this is the right time to bring you the recipe of one variety of Pongal. Known as Ven Pongal (ven meaning white literally), this is a salted variation and is also made of freshly harvested rice and moong dal (பயத்தம் பருப்பு ). It’s a hot favourite in my family and while I learnt this recipe from my mother, I have added my own inputs and the addition of milk was an idea given by my sister Jayu – resulting in a flavour nearest to the prasadham offered at Tirupati.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Moong Dal (பயத்தம் பருப்பு) – ¾ cup
Water – 5 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Cashewnuts – 5-10 (broken into pieces)
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For sauté:

Black pepper corns – 6-8
Powdered black pepper – ½ tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Grated ginger – ½ tsp
Asafoetida (हिंग) (பெருங்காயம்) – 1 pinch

Method:

1.    Wash the rice and dal together and keep aside.
2.    Take a pressure pan and heat the ghee in it. Once hot, fry the cashewnut pieces in it.
3.    When the nuts are golden in colour, add all the sauté items and turn them around.
4.    Pour the water, milk and add salt.
5.    Then add the washed rice and dal. Close the pan and let it cook for 3 whistles.

The delicious Ven Pongal is all ready to eat when you open the cooker. It can be served with coconut chutney or Gothsu.

GOTHSU (கொத்சு) is the gravy that can be had along with this.

Ingredients:

Tamarind – the size of a lemon
Tomato – 1 (chopped fine)
Onions – 2 (chopped fine)
Green chillies – 2 (cut into twos)
Red chillies – 2 (cut into twos)
Curry leaves – a few
Mustard seeds (राइ) (கடுகு) – 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (मेथी) (வெந்தயம்) – ½ tsp
Channa dal – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Chilli powder – ½ tsp (you can use less if not keen on spicy food)
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Besan (चन्ना का आटा) (கடலை மாவு) – 1 tsp

Method:

1.    Add water 2-3 times and squeeze the tamarind and filter the extract and keep aside. This should be about 2 cups.
2.    Heat the oil in a saucepan and crackle the mustard seeds in it. Add the fenugreek seeds while they crackle.
3.    Then add the channa dal and fry till golden brown.
4.    Add both types of chillies and curry leaves now.
5.    Turning the mixture, add the chopped onions and fry for a couple of minutes.
6.    Add the turmeric and chilli powder and mix before adding chopped tomatoes and stir well.
7.    Two minutes later, add the tamarind extract to this and let the whole mixture boil for about 7-8 minutes on a slow gas after adding salt.
8.    When the boiling mixture reduces to two-thirds, mix the besan in 3-4 tsp of water and add to the pan while stirring.
9.    The gravy will thicken and get all set to be served in 2 minutes.

This katta and spicy gravy pairs perfectly with the rather bland Ven Pongal.

Quick-fix Meal: RICE SEVAI

Lemon sevai & Coconut sevai

I know it has been a long time since I posted a recipe for a quick-fix meal. Here is one extremely simple recipe that takes but 15 minutes to prepare.

The main ingredient for this one the ready-made dry rice sevai that is available from MTR or Concord brands. You will find packets of 200 gm and 500 gm. The smaller packet is enough for two people and this recipe quantity is suited for the 200 gm packet.


I prepare two varieties of sevai from this one. The one common thing is add the packet of dry sevai to a vessel of boiling water and cook it for about 4-5 minutes. The process is similar to cooking noodles or pasta, only DO NOT add oil to this one. Once the sevai is soft, strain it and remove water completely.

Coconut sevai

Coconut Sevai:

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Green Chilly – 1 (cut in 2)
Red Chilly – 1 (cut in 2)
Curry leaves – a few
Hing (asafoetida) – 1 pinch
Grated coconut – 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

Take a kadai (saucepan) and heat the oil in it. Add the mustard seeds and once they crackle, add the urad dal. As they turn golden brown, add both the chillies and curry leaves. Turn them once and add the grated coconut. Adding the hing and salt, roast the coconut till it turns golden. Now switch the flame off and add half of the boiled sevai to the coconut mixture and mix well. Delicious coconut sevai is all set to be consumed.

Lemon sevai

Lemon Sevai:

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Green Chilly – 1 (cut in 2)
Red Chilly – 1 (cut in 2)
Curry leaves – a few
Hing (asafoetida) – 1 pinch
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Juice from ½ a lemon (can add a few drops more if you like it stronger)
Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tsp

Take a kadai (saucepan) and heat the oil in it. Add the mustard seeds and once they crackle, add the urad dal. As they turn golden brown, add both the chillies and curry leaves. Turn them once and switch off the gas. Add the hing powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well before adding the lemon juice and the second half of the boiled sevai. Mix well and the yummy lemon sevai is all ready to be eaten.

The two sevais may be consumed just plain if you are not too fussy or you can have them with coconut chutney or mor kozhambu if you like.

NOTE: This is not the same as the semiya (made of wheat) that you get. This is made of rice.

Recipe: ALOO / VEGETABLE KURMA

Vegetable Kurma ready to eat!

This recipe is from the region of Tamil Nadu and taught me by my sister Jayashree. It’s not very difficult to make and tastes yummy with rotis, puris or jeera rice.

It may be made with just potatoes or a combination of potato and other vegetables such as peas, beans, carrots and cauliflower.

Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes – ½ kg (peeled and cut into cubes)
Shelled peas – 50 gm
Beans – 50 gm (stringed and chopped)
Carrots – 100 gm (peeled and cut small)
Cauliflower – 250 gm (cut into flowerets)
Onions – 2 (medium – chopped fine)
Tomato – 1 (small – chopped fine)
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste


Masala for gravy:

Scraped Coconut – 1 cup
Green chillies – 4 (you may increase number if you like spicy food)
Garlic – 5-6 cloves (peeled)
Ginger – ½ inch piece
Poppy seeds (खस खस ) (கசகசா) – ½ tsp

Fennel seeds (सोंफ) (சோம்பு) – ½ tsp

Star Anise – ½ a piece

Cardamom (इलाइची) (ஏலக்காய்) –1

Clove (लवंग) (கிராம்பு) – 3

Cinnamon (दालचीनी) (லவங்கப்பட்டை) – 1 very small piece

Cumin Seeds (जीरा) (ஜீரகம்) – ½ tsp

Pepper (काली मिरी ) (மிளகு) – 5-6

Boiling Gravy

Method:

1.    Boil the peas, beans, carrots and cauliflower in salt water for a few minutes and drain the water.
2.    Take a saucepan and heat the oil in it. Add chopped onions and stir till golden in colour. Add the tomato pieces and cook for a couple of minutes.
3.    Add all the masala ingredients in the mixer and grind to a fine paste. Now add this paste to the pan. Add a cup or two of water to make a thick gravy. Add salt.
4.    Allow it to boil for about 7-8 minutes before adding the cubed potatoes and the other vegetables in the pan. Add salt and mix well.
5.    Stir gently till the vegetables soak in the gravy well. Switch of the stove after 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves. The kurma is ready.
6.    Serve hot with roti or rice as you please.

Recipe: PULIKAACHAL (புளிகாச்சல்)

This is an age-old recipe from Tamil Nadu. This mixture can be stored for about 10 days if made in the right manner. Oil and salt act as natural preservatives and there is absolutely no need to add artificial ones.

This can be mixed with plain cooked rice to make delicious Puliyodarai or eaten with curd rice or rotis.

Ingredients:

Tamarind – 1 ball the size of an orange
Til Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) – ½ cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Channa Dal (கடலை பருப்பு) – 4 tsp
Halved Groundnuts – 100 gms (skin removed and roasted)
Mustard seeds (राइ) (கடுகு) – 1 tsp
Red Chillies – 5 (broken in twos)
Curry Leaves – 10
Asafoetida Powder (हिंग) (பெருங்காயம்) – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Masala:

Red Chillies – 15
White Sesame Seeds (सफ़ेद तिल) (வெள்ளை எள்ளு) – 4 tsp
Black Gram (उरद दाल) (உளுத்தம் பருப்பு) – 4 tsp
Coriander Seeds (सुक्का धनिया) (தனியா) – 4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (मेथी) (வெந்தயம்) – 1 tsp
Black Pepper (काली मिरी) (மிளகு) – 1 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Take a dry saucepan and roast the masala ingredients one-by-one separately. Allow the items to cool and grind them together into a coarse powder to the consistency of Rava.

Step 2: Extract the juice of tamarind after soaking it in water for a while. The juice maybe extracted three times to a medium-thick consistency and kept aside.

Step 3: Add oil to the saucepan and keep it on medium flame. Once heated, add the broken red chillies and fry them till they are dark in colour. Now add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the channa dal and fry till golden. Add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt to the pan. Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame.

Step 4: Add the masala powder and stir well. After one boil, add the groundnuts. Let it cook for two more minutes before switching off the gas. Add the curry leaves to the Pulikaachal.

Recipe: NELLIKKAAI URUGAAI (Amla Pickle)

आमला (நெல்லிக்காய்) is Indian gooseberry. This particular berry never loses its nutrition whichever way you cook it. It tastes delicious pickled.

Ingredients:

நெல்லிக்காய் - Amla – ½ kg
Water – 1 cup
Salt – 2-2 ½ tsp
Chilli Powder – 3 tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¾ tsp
பெருங்காயம் - Asafoetida Powder (हिंग) – ¾ tsp
Roasted and powdered வெந்தயம் (Methi) – 1 tsp
கடுகு - Mustard (राइ) – 1 tsp
நல்லெண்ணெய் - Sesame Oil – ½ cup (Idhayam brand preferred as I find that very fresh)

Method:

Wash the amla thoroughly. Place them in a pressure cooker, add water, salt and turmeric powder and cook for 2 whistles. Allow it to cool before breaking them into segments and removing seeds. Keep the water aside.

Take a saucepan and heat the oil before adding mustard seeds. Once they crackle add the amla boiled water, then the amla. Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes on medium flame before adding the chilli powder, asafoetida and methi powder. Mix well and allow it to cook on low flame for one more minute before switching off the gas.

The pickle is ready to eat with rotis or curd rice.

Warning: The pickle does not last beyond a week. To last longer, store in refrigerator.

Recipe: MOR KUZHAMBU

This is a typical recipe from my Grandma’s kitchen and very simple to prepare. It tastes delicious mixed with steamed rice and along with Kothavarangai Paruppu Usili or Stuffed Brinjals.

Ingredients:

Coconut – 1 cup (grated)
Channa Dal – 2 tsp (soaked for ½ an hour)
Green chillies – 8
Curd – 3 cups
Curry leaves – 2 strips
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water – as required
Coconut oil – 2 tsp
Rai – 1 tsp
Red chilli – 1 (broken in two)

Method:

Wet grind coconut, soaked channa dal, green chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, a few curry leaves with water to a smooth paste. Run the curd also in the mixer and add to the paste. Add salt and mix well and add water if necessary. Cook the mixture on a slow fire, stirring constantly. Switch off the gas when it comes to a boil. Heat oil in a kadai, crackle the rai and add red chilli and curry leaves to it. Then add this to the yummy mor kuzhambu. Mix well and it is ready to be served.
Optional:

I make this plain. You can add to the taste by adding boiled yams (peeled and cut) or shallow fried ladyfingers to the mor kuzhambu at the end.

Recipe: RAVA LADOO

One more easy-to-make sweet recipe that you can relish this Diwali! Another recipe from my Grandma’s kitchen! :)
Ingredients:

Rava – 3 cups
Sugar – 2 cups (ground to a fine powder)
Ghee – ½ cup
Elaichi – 8 (peeled and powdered)
Kaju – 6 (broken into small pieces)

Method:

Take a saucepan and add two spoons of ghee to it. Once heated, add the rava and roast it in the ghee till golden brown in colour. Stir continuously to ensure that the rava is evenly roasted. Cool the rava and grind it to a coarse powder.

Mix the powdered rava and sugar and add the elaichi powder to it. Heat the rest of the ghee and fry the broken kaju in it and add the whole thing to the rava ladoo mix.

Mix well and mould into round balls the size of lemons. The delicious Rava Ladoo is ready to eat now. Have a wonderful Diwali, one and all!

Recipe: RIBBON PAKODA

We can’t just manage with the sweet, can we? So try out this salt item that is easy to prepare and yummy too!

Ingredients:

Rice flour – 3 cups
Besan flour – 1 cup
White butter – 1 cup
Water – as required
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Take a flat vessel and add the two flours and salt to it. Mix it lightly before adding the butter and mix well. Then add water and mix into dough the consistency of that you make for rotis. Heat oil in a saucepan. Use a hand-press (check out picture) to squeeze the dough in the requisite shape – that of ribbons – directly into the hot oil. Be careful so that the steam rising from the saucepan does not hurt you. Wait for a few moments for the pakoda to fry before turning it over to fry the other side. The oil stops bubbling once the pakoda is cooked. Make sure that it is cooked to a nice golden brown colour and does not become too brown. That is the right time to remove it and place it on a tray lined with paper towel. Store it in an air-tight container once the ribbon pakoda is cooled. The crunchy Ribbon Pakoda tastes delicious with Godhumai Halwa or with tea or coffee.

Recipe: GODHUMAI HALWA

Otherwise known as Wheat Halwa, this is one of my favourite sweets. I remember my grandmother, Pattu Paatti, making this so many times. After all these years, while I handle my kitchen, I appreciate the way in which Paatti took care while cooking anything. I used to think that she took too much tension. Looking back, I realise that it was not tension but a load of respect to the process of creating a dish. Thank you Paatti, for making me aware of the value of great cooking!

Ingredients:

Wheat – 1 cup (soaked in water for about 4 hours)
Water – 2-3 cups
Sugar – 2 ½ cups
Elaichi (Cardamom) – 6 (peeled and powdered)
Kesar – a little
Badam, Kaju, Pista – 3 each (sliced into slivers)
Kesar colour – 1 pinch
Ghee – 1 cup

Method:

Grind the soaked wheat along with water into a fine paste and strain the white milk through a tea strainer or a fine cloth. Grind for 3-4 times till the milk extract is quite thin. Keep the thick milk in one vessel and the last thin one separately.

Take a steel plate or tray and apply ghee to the surface and keep aside. Shallow fry the dry fruit slivers till they are crisp.

Take a thick-bottomed vessel (a pressure cooker or pan can be used) and add the sugar and a cup of water to it. Heat it on the gas till the sugar dissolves. Filter the sugar water before heating it again till it thickens to the consistency of honey. Keep the flame low and add the thick wheat milk extract while stirring non-stop. Add half a cup of ghee while stirring the mixture as it thickens. Make sure that it does not get stuck to the bottom of the vessel. Stir continuously while adding kesar colour, kesar and elaichi powder. The mixture must be quite thick now. Add the thin milk and mix in well. Add the rest of the ghee, fried dry fruits and cook till the mixture begins to leave the sides.

Pour the hot halwa mixture on to the prepared steel tray. Wait for the mixture to cool for a while before cutting the halwa into squares.

You can have the delicious melt-in-the-mouth halwa immediately or wait for Diwali morning!

Recipe: JEERA MILAGU RASAM

Rakshita, this one is for you!

This is a common recipe from typical South Indian households. Any changes from the regular recipe are my own. A hot cup of rasam during the monsoons tastes out of this world. It is also very good for the stomach. A diluted version of this is served at five-star restaurants as mulgitawni soup. I suppose they mean milagu thanni (pepper water, literally) :)

Ingredients:

Tamarind – a small ball the size of a lemon. Soak it in hot water and squeeze the syrup and extract two cups of tamarind water and keep aside.
கடலை பருப்பு  - Channa dal – 1 tsp
தனியா - Dhania – 1 tbsp
மிளகு - Pepper – 1 tsp
ஜீரகம் - Jeera – 1 tsp
கிராம்பு - Cloves - 2
வெத்த மிளகாய் - Red Chillies – 2
பூண்டு - Garlic – 10-15 cloves (optional)
Ghee – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
கடுகு - Rai – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Salt to taste

Method:

Take a vessel and pour the tamarind extract into it. Add salt and turmeric and keep on the gas to boil. Take a sauce-pan and add half a spoon of ghee to it. Shallow fry the channa dal and as it turns golden, add the dhania and when that turns a light red, add pepper, jeera, cloves and red chillies and roast them for a minute. If you are using garlic, add them at this point and shallow fry till golden in colour. Otherwise turn the gas off. Cool the masala and grind it as a powder and add to the tamarind mix that has boiled for at least 7-8 minutes. Bring the mixture to a boil and add water – about 3-4 cups should be fine. Wait for the mixture to boil and taste the same and add more salt or water if necessary. Crackle the rai and curry leaves in the balance ghee and add to the rasam. Drink the rasam in a soup bowl or add to white rice and relish the same.

Recipe: VEGETABLE RAVA UPMA

Delicious Rava Upma made from Semolina – रवा – ரவை along with vegetables. It makes a wonderful breakfast or a snack and tastes yummy with coconut chutney or sambhar.

Ingredients:

Semolina – 1 cup
Water – 2-2 ½ cups
Chopped onions – 4 tbsp
Chopped tomatoes – 4 tbsp
Peas – ½ cup
Chopped carrots – 4 tbsp
Chopped French beans – 4 tbsp
Cashew nuts – 4 (broken into pieces)
Rai – ½ tsp
Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Channa Dal – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Ghee – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Masala:

Green Chillies – 3 (slit across)
Red Chilli – 1 (cut in two)
Curry Leaves – a few
Ginger – ½ tsp (grated)
Method:

Heat the ghee in a saucepan and add the cashew nuts. Turn till golden brown and add the rava. Roast on a medium flame till golden in colour. Remove from saucepan and keep aside. Add oil to the saucepan and crackle the rai before adding urad dal and channa dal. Once they turn a light brown add the masala ingredients. Turn it for a few seconds before adding the onions. Wait for the onions to turn golden brown before adding the tomatoes and mixing well. Add the water and the other vegetables and salt. Give the whole mixture a few minutes to cook. Once the beans are cooked well, keep the flame low and add the roasted rava and cashew nuts to the saucepan. Stir carefully as the mixture will cook very fast. Mix evenly to avoid lumps. You can even keep the gas flame off for a couple of minutes while mixing the rava with the rest of the stuff. Then turn the flame on to low and cook for a minute. Put the flame off before garnishing with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Recipe: SUNDAL

It’s Navratri time and the Prasad that is offered is the hot favourite Sundal. It is very simple to make and extremely healthy in giving you the proteins that you are probably missing out on during the year. Nine types of Sundal are made over the nine days. I am bringing to you one particular recipe that may be copied with different grams and pulses.

Sundal can be prepared from:

Whole Bengal gram – Chickpea – வெள்ளை கொத்து கடலை – सफ़ेद चन्ना
Peanuts – கடலை – शेंग्दाना
Broken Bengal gram – கடலை பருப்பு – चन्ना की दाल
Whole Bengal gram (brown) – கொத்து கடலை – Brown चन्ना
Dried Green Peas – காஞ்ச பட்டாணி – सुक्का हरा वाटताना
Dried White Peas – காஞ்ச வெள்ளை பட்டாணி – सुक्का सफ़ेद वाटताना
பயறு – हरा मूंग
Black-eyed Beans – காராமணி – चोव्ली (2-3 types are available – all make good Sundal)

I am bringing you the recipe for Bengal gram Sundal - கொத்து கடலை சுண்டல்.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas – 2 cups (soaked in water for at least four hours)
Coconut – 4 tbsp (fresh grated)
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Red Chillies – 2
Curry Leaves – A few
Asafoetida – A pinch
Oil – 1 tsp
Chilli Powder – A pinch
Salt to taste

Method:

Pressure-cook the soaked chickpeas till they are soft. Take a saucepan and heat a spoon of oil and add the mustard seeds to it. Wait for it to crackle before adding the broken red chillies and curry leaves. Add the asafoetida, chilli powder and then the drained peanuts. Mix well and add salt. Keep the gas flame low throughout this procedure. After a few minutes, add the grated coconut, mix it and switch of the gas. The yummy Sundal may be had hot or cooled.

This is the traditional method of making Sundal. You can make your own twists by adding sautéed onions, freshly chopped tomatoes, boiled potatoes, freshly cut green mangoes, a few drops of lemon juice, etc. One can use any one or different combos.

Recipe: STUFFED BRINJALS

This is a recipe that I learned from my mother. By the way, she is a great cook and the flavour, texture and taste of whatever she makes turns out just perfect. She never even bothers to check for salt before serving the food. :)

Brinjals are also known as Eggplants or Aubergines.
Ingredients:

Brinjals (Choose the dark purple brinjals that are small and tender) - 1/2 Kg (Chop the green heads off and slit across - check picture)
Dhania Powder - 4 tsp
Channa Ka Atta (கடலை மாவு) - 4 tsp
Jeera Powder - 2 tsp
Haldi Powder (மஞ்சப்பொடி) - 1/2 tsp
Mirchi Powder - 2-3 tsp
Salt - to taste
Rai (கடுகு) - 1 tsp
Urad Dal (உளுத்தம் பருப்பு) - 2 tsp
Oil - 4 tsp
Curd - 3 tsp
Method:

Mix all the above-mentioned powders with salt and stuff the brinjals and keep them aside. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and crackle rai in it. Add the urad dal and let it brown before gently placing the stuffed brinjals one by one in the pan. Add the curd. This takes away the bitterness that is sometimes present in brinjals and also ensures that they are well-fried. Keep the flame on medium and cover the pan and cook stirring from time to time till the brinjals are crisp and delicious. Serve hot with rice or rotis.