Araikeerai by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:
Araikeerai: 1 bunch
Garlic pods: 5
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Urid dal: ¼ tsp
Asafoetida: ¼ tsp
Salt: to taste
Coconut oil: 1 tsp.

Method
Cut the Araikeerai finely. Wash and drain.
In a heavy bottomed kadai, pour coconut oil, add mustard seeds and urid dal.
Let it splutter. Add araikkerai, chopped garlic pods, turmeric powder and salt.
Sauté till it till the keerai done.
Remove from fire,
Serve with rasam sadam.
You mix this keerai curry with hot rice and ghee.

Pathiya Samayal Contest Entry by Uma Sridharan

Milagoolam by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:
Buttermilk: 3 cups
Rice flour: 1 tsp
Green chilli: 1 (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Curry leaves: few
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Jeera: ½ tsp
Asafoetida: ¼ tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 1 tbsp

Method
Mix buttermilk, salt, rice flour and asafoetida.
In a heavy bottomed vessel, pour oil, add mustard seeds, jeera, green chilli and curry leaves.
When mustard seeds splutter, switch off the file and add buttermilk mixture.
Mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves.
Server with rice.

Pathiya Samayal Contest entry by Uma Sridharan

Theeyal

Ingredients:

Raw rice                                  2 tbsp

Coriander seeds (dhania)        1 1/2 tbsp

Coconut (shredded)                 1 cup                  

Red chillies                               6 or 7

Pepper                                      1/2 tsp

Curry leaves                             one handful

Vegetables                              Onions, drumstick and raddish (white)

(can use all or any)

Tamarind                                small lemon sized

Turmeric                                  a pinch

Salt                                           1 1/2 tsp (to suit your taste)   

Method :

In a pan add a tsp of cooking oil and fry raw rice first , then add red chillies ,pepper (adjust according to taste) and keep aside. Then in little oil, fry coconut till slightly browned and add curry leaves . let it cool. Then grind everything together in the blender  by adding water to make a coarse paste.

Next ,in  a pan, add tamarind extract, turmeric and salt . when it starts  boiling, add the cooked vegetables ( i steam in microwave) and after a few minutes, add the ground paste and  let it boil till the raw tamarind smell goes off. Season with mustard and curry leaves.

Poondu Rasam by Jyotsna

Pathiya Samayal Contest Entry by Jyotsna

Ingredients :
2 full garlic bulbs Peeled
One lemon sized tamarind
a pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste.

For grinding
1 handful of kadalaiparuppu and tuvaram paruppu
4 red chillies
few black peppercorns
jeera - 1 tbsp

For seasoning :
mustard seeds
2-3 karuveppilai

Method:
a) roast and grind all items mentioned in 2 above and keep aside.

b) Soak tamarind in water and extract pulp..Add salt and hing to this pulp and add peeled garlic pods and boil till the raw tamarind smell vanishes
c) add the ground mixture to the boiling rasam and dilute as necessary
d) season with kadugu and karuveppilai preferably in ghee..

Variations :
If this is for delivery paththiyam, we generally do not use kadalai paruppu..more of thuvaram paruppu is used.. The same can be made without garlic and more of milagu to make it to the taste of milagu rasam.

Serving suggestion - To serve with hot rice with LOTS of ghee..:))