Manathakkali Vathakuzhambu

 When we say Vathakuzhambu we in our family end up voting for either shallots vathakuzhambu or Poondu Vathakuzhambu. But my personal favourite is the manathakkali vathakuzhambu made using dried manathakkali vathal. Mom used to make it with fresh green manathakkali too. But this one gets thicker by the day and tastes too good in the night or the next day. Though the best combination with this is Keerai koottu or Keerai masiyal, I also prefer it with potato kara curry.

Ingredients

Manathakkali Vathal (Better to use the unsalted ones) - 2 spoons

Tamarind Paste - 8 table spoons

Vathakuzhambu Podi - 4 spoons

Curry leaves -  few (optional) 

Gingely Oil - 6 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 200 ml

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Hing - 1/2 tsp

Method:

In a hard bottom pan add the gingely oil and when hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the channa dal and hing and mix well. Now add the manathakkali vathal and fry it in the oil when it is fried and becomes dark brown add the vathakuzhambu powder and saute well in the oil. Now add the salt too. Mix the tamarind paste in the water to a thick consistency and add it to the pan and allow it to boil. When the water reduces and the oil starts floating on top it is the right to remove it from flame. Accompany it with sutta appalam too. 

Morkozhambu

A buttermilk or curd based curry of South India which  is a dish that is served with rice and a few people relish it for dishes like Chappati or Adai too. It is infact a comfort food. The dish is tangy and spicy and is also a bit sour in taste based on the buttermilk used. The taste of the morkozhambu differs with the different veggies or ingredients added to it. 

It is always better to add the buttermilk or curd at the end and just boil it for a min or two and switch the stove lest the dish could curdle. The entire dish needs to be cooked in slow flame so that it doesnot settle at the bottom of the pan. 

Vendaikkai (Lady's finger) morkozhambu

Poosanikkai morkozhambu

Cheppankizhangu mor kozhambu

Chow Chow morkozhambu

Brinjal morkozhambu

Potato morkozhambu

Parupurundai morkozhambu

Sundaikai vathal morkozhambu

Tomato morkozhambu

Vedikka vitta morkozhambu

Chettinadu Masala Kuzhambu

Chettinadu Kuzhambu is always very very tasty especially their masala kuzhambu or kara kuzhambu. This can be had with hot rice and gingely oil and ghee.

Ingredients:
Small Onions- 18 nos or 1/4 kg
Raddish or chowchow or drumstick or brinjal (numbers depending upon the quantity of veggies one need for a family of four)
Tamarind Paste - 2 tbsp
Red Chillies - 4 nos
Vathakozhambu powder - 2 tbsp
Gingely Oil - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Coconut grated - 1/4 cup
Fennel Seeds (sombu) - 1 tsp
Onion big - 1
Tomato - 1
Garlic pods - 6 nos
Curry leaves - a handful
Bay leaf - 1 no
Cinnamon sticks - 2 nos

Method :
Heat 1/4 of the oil and fry big onion first in it then a hand ful of small onions. Add the tomatoes and 4 of the garlic pods and saute them. Remove from flame and add coconut, 1/2 of the fennel seeds, curry leaves and grind them to a fine paste.

Heat half of the remaining oil in a hard bottom pan and add bayleaf, fennel seeds and cinnamon. Cut the small onions into 1/4th and add it to the pan. Add garlic pods and a few curry leaves and saute them till the onion turns slighly brown. Add the vegetable or vegetables of your choice and mix them thoroughly. Add the vathakozhambu powder and saute for a min. Add tamarind paste and 1/2 cup of water and salt and let it cook till the vegetables become soft and the tamarind water looses its raw flavour. Add the coconut paste and allow it to boil till the oil separates. The consistency will be semi thick.

Remove from flame. Heat the remaining gingely oil and add it to the cooked gravy. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Note:
If you want to avoid tamarind add more tomatoes especially the tangy ones.

Brinjal Rasavangi by Sowpernica

Brinjal Contest entry by Sowpernica's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Brinjal – ½ kg (finely cut)
Jaggery – a small bit
Oil – 1 ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 1 ½ teaspoon
Tamarind – a small piece
Hing - ¼ teaspoon
Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
Roast & Grind:
Coriander seeds – 3 teaspoons
Channa dal – 3 teaspoons
Red chillies – 2
Curry leaves – 6
Coconut – ½ cup (grated)

Method:
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai.
Add mustard seeds & allow spluttering.
Add cut brinjal pieces, salt, turmeric powder, hing & jaggery.
Soak tamarind in little water & prepare tamarind water. (approx ½ tumbler)
Sprinkle this water & keep closed.
Repeat step 5 until till the pieces look cooked.
Roast ingredients mentioned with ½ teaspoon of oil & grind to smooth paste.
Add the ground paste & mix well.
Allow boiling for 5 more minutes.
Garnish with curry leaves & serve hot with rice.

Dal Lucknowi Chappati side dish

Wanted a change from the regular Dal fry or the other dal dishes. Had a few of green gram dal, moong dal etc. Suddenly remembered seeing Dal Lucknowi dish prepared in one of the cookery show.

Ingredients:                                        
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Green gram Dal - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2 nos
Garlic cloves - 4 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 4 nos
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Ghee - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the dals along with turmeric powder for about 5 whistles. Let it cool, remove and mash well. Transfer it to a hard bottom vessel add salt and mix thoroughly and bring it to a boil.

Heat seasoning laddle and add ghee to it. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add cumin seeds, slit green chillies, red chillies,  chopped garlic and saute well. Chop the curry leaves add it to the dal and pour the seasoning on top of it and mix well. Add milk and cook for just a min or two. Remove from flame, add finely chopped coriander leaves.

Can be served with hot rice or roti

Baby Potato fry Chettinad Style

Baby potatoes are always every one's favourites but making same recipes every time is quite boring. While searching the net, I came across a recipe which is prepared in Chettinad style.

Ingredients:
Baby Potatoes - 1/2 kg
Shallots - 250 gms or 24 nos (medium sized)
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Red Chillies - 6 nos
Black pepper corn - 12 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil the potatoes and peel them. Prick them with a tooth pick to make small holes in each one of them.

Dry roast urad dal, red chillies, black pepper, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Grind them to a fine powder (Alternatively Chettinad Masala powder can also be used).

Peel the shallots (sambar onion) and if they are large cut them into halves. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the shallots and fry till they turn glassy. Add the potatoes, salt, ground masala powder and mix well. Cook on low flame and keep turning the potatoes so that it turns golden brown all over.

Chop the coriander leaves finely and add it to the potatoes and mix. Serve with rice or with rotis.

Note: If you are serving it with rotis, cut the baby potatoes into half before adding to the pan.

Lemon Dal Recipe

Ingredients:
Thoor Dal - 1 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal whole - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Lemon - 1 no
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Pressure cook thoor dal with turmeric powder. When cooked, let it cool, mash thoroughly.

Peel and chop the garlic pods. Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, red chillies, garlic cloves and cumin seeds. Add the thoor dal, salt and 2 cups of water. Cook till the dal boils. Add finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Remove from flame and add lemon juice.

Serve it with chappati or hot white rice.

Araithu vitta sambar or Araichu Vitta Sambar

 Any Vegetable like White pumpkin, Drum stick, Raddish, Lady's finger, carrot, Small Onions (avoid this if it is made for festivls) can be used to make this Araichu vitta Sambar. 

Vengaya Sambar

Mullangi Sambar

Ingredients:

Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind Paste - 1 1/2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch

For Grinding:

Coriander seeds - 1/4 cup

Thuvar Dal - 2 tbsp

Bengal Gram Dal - 2 tbsp

Red Chilly - 6 to 8 nos

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

Black Pepper - 6 nos

Curry Leaves - a few

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Rice - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

For seasoning:

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafodeita Powder - 1 pinch

Curry Leaves - a few

Method:

Cut the vegetables into bigger pieces. Fry coriander seeds, Thuvar dal, Bengal gram dal, cumin seeds, black pepper, rice and red chilly till they become brown in colour. Reduce the flame and add the grated coconut and fry it till becomes brown. Grind everything along with curry leaves to a fine paste.

Pressure cook the thuvar dal with a pinch of turmeric powder and mash it finely.

In a hard bottom vessel, add 2 cups of water, tamarind paste, vegetable and salt and bring it to a boil. Add the ground paste and mix well. Reduce the flame and bring it to boil. Add the mashed thuvar dal and mix well. If the sambar is thick add water.

Remove from flame. In a seasoning laddle, add ghee and oil and when hot add the mustard seeds and wait till it splutters. Add the asafodeita. Chop the curry leaves finely and sprinkle it on the sambar. Pour the seasoning on top of the curry leaves to enhance the flavour. Can also add a few coriander leaves.

Parippu Curry Kerala Style

Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Red Chillies - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Shallots - 4 nos
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind coconut along with 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1 green chilly.

Wash and pressure cook both the dals with 1 pinch of turmeric powder and 1 green chilly. When cold mash well. Transfer the cooked dal to a hard bottom pan and keep it on a low flame. Add the ground coconut paste to it and mix well. Add another 1/2 cup of water to avoid the dal from settling at the bottom.

In a seasoning pan add ghee and mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and chopped shallots. Chop curry leaves finely and sprinkle on top of the cooked dal. Pour the seasoning on top of the curry leaves.

 Chop coriander leaves finely and add it to the cooked dal.

Khar - Vegetables with Lentils

A vegetarian dish from Assam.

Ingredients:
Papaya - 1/2 kg
Ash Gourd - 1/2 kg
Garlic - 6 cloves
Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Salt to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Mustard Oil - 1 tbsp
Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) - 1/2 cup

Method:
Peel, wash and dice the vegetables. Heat oil in a pan, and when hot add one green chilly, ginger paste and chopped garlic when it starts turning brown, add lentils and vegetables and stir well. Add salt and cover it and cook till the vegetables become pulpy. Remove from flame and garnish it with green chilly sauted in oil.

Serve hot with cooked rice.

Note: Instead of Mustard oil, any other vegetable oil can be used. To alternate taste, moong dal can be added instead of Masoor dal

Radish Salad

Ingredients:
Radish white - 1 no
Green chilly - 1 no
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Lemon - 1 no.
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Grate radish. Cut ginger to thin stripes. Mince green chilly finely. Take juice from the lemon.

Mix all the ingredients together and toss it. Serve it as side dish for any kind of rice dish.

Tomato Curry Karwari Style

Ingredients:

Tomato - 6 nos
Onion  - 2 small nos
Garlic pods - 8 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Cinnamon sticks - 1 no
Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Khus Khus - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:
In a pan fry cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, saunf, cinnamon sticks, garlic one by one till they emit an aroma. Cut onions and tomatoes into fine pieces. Grind the spices along with red chilly powder and coriander powder.

Grind onion, tomato, garlic and coconut to a fine paste.

In a pan heat oil and add the tomato paste and fry till it becomes golden in colour. Add the masala powder to it and bring it to a boil. Serve hot with hot rice and ghee or idly or dosa. Goes well with aloo parotta or green poori too.

Chow Chow (Chayote) Kootu

Ingredients:
Chow Chow - 2 nos (big sized)
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 3 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry Leaves -  1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
Processed Channa Dal - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch

Method:
Cut the chow chow into square cubes. Pressure cook them along with moong dal. Grind green chillies, grated coconut, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, processed channa dal to a fine paste. Transfer the pressure cooked vegetable to a hard bottom vessel. Add desired salt and the ground paste and add 1/2 cup of water. Bring it to boil till the raw smell of the paste goes off.

Heat oil in a seasoning laddle. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add urad dal and asafodeita and add it to the kootu. Mix well. Goes well with rice and also with chappati.

Horse gram thuvaiyal

Ingredients:
Horse gram - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint - a little
Garlic pods - 4 nos
Red Chillies - 2 to 4
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
Pressure cook horse gram for about 4 to 5 whistles with very little water and let it cool. Heat oil in a pan and fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and garlic. When cold grind the fried items along with horsegram, salt and coriander seeds. This goes well with Pepper Jeera Rasam or Garlic Rasam. Can also be served with hot rice and ghee.

Horse gram helps in reducing weight.

Lady's finger masala fry

Ingredients:
Lady's finger - 1/4 kg
Onion - 1 no
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wash and dry the lady's finger. Cut into long pieces, just the way it is cut for sambar. And make a slight slit in the middle without cutting it into two. Chop the onions into small pieces. Chop the green chilly also into small pieces.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and fry for a minute; add chopped onion and green chillies and saute for a few more mins. Add the lady's finger pieces, chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and mix well. So that all the turmeric pieces are coated well. Cover and cook on a medium flame. Stir occassionally.

Add salt and Amchur powder. Cook well till the lady's finger becomes soft and the raw smell goes.

Serve hot with rice. Goes well with rasam.

Note: Instead of using coriander powder and red chilly powder, sambar powder can be used.

Tomato Rasam

Ingredients:
Tomato - 1/4 kg
Garlic - 4 flakes
Green chilly - 2 nos
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Asafodeita - 1`pinch

Method:
Grind the tomatoes in a juicer grinder. Add cumin powder, pepper powder, garlic flakes and green chillies and salt and boil all of them together. When it bubbles up on top remove from flame.

Chop the curry leaves into two halves and sprinkle it on the rasam. In a seasoning laddle add ghee and when hot add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the jeera seeds and asafodeita. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Erriserry

Erissery can be made using yam, plantain, red pumpkin and raw jackfruit. This is a special Kerala dish. Many in Tamilnadu dont like raw jack fruit errisery and you can see it be done using the other vegetables.

Recipe using Yam

Ingredients:
Yam - 1/2 kg
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly - 2 nos
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp (if the smell is not prefferred normal cooking oil can be used)
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1/4 cup

Method:
In 1 tbsp of oil fry jeera, bengal gram, black pepper and red chillies till it turns golden brown in colour.

Pressure cook yam for 2 whistles with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Transfer it to a hard bottom pan. Mix the ground paste and bring it to a boil adding the required quantity of water. If the errisery is to be used as a side dish it can be less watery. If it is to be used as a rice mix then it could be watery in the consistency of sambar. Sprinkle the curry leaves on top.

Heat a seasoning laddle add the remaining oil and when hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the urad dal. When the urad dal turns golden brown pour it on top of the erriserry. (The seasoning if poured on top of the curry leaves gives a great smell to any dish).

Recipe for Mysore Rasam - Method 2

This is a typical Karnataka style recipe, which is served with rice. Made as a special kind of rasam in Tamilnadu during festivals or during functions at home.


Ingredients:
Tamrind Paste - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Bengal gram - 1 tbsp
Pepper corns - 8 to 10 no.
Red Chillies - 3 to 5 nos.
Turmeric powder - pinch
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Asafodeita - 2 pinches
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup

Method:
   Pressure cook Thuvar Dal and mash well. Make tamrind water out of tamrind paste (which should be equal to 1 cup).

   In a pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry coriander seeds, pepper corns, red chillies, Bengal gram till they turn golden colour. Add the grated coconut and fry it till it turns golden brown. Cool and grind it to a fine powder.

   In a shallow vessel add tamrind juice and a cup of water, salt, turmeric powder and asafodeita. Grind tomato, curry leaves and coriander leaves to a paste and add it to the boiling liquid. Boil the liquid till the raw smell of tamarind is gone. Add the cooked and mashed thoor dal to the boiling liquid and when it starts bubbling add the ground powder, chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves and leave for 1/2 a minute. Remove from fire. Add 1 tbsp of finely chopped mint leaves.

In a seasoning laddle add 1 tbsp of ghee and mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds and a pinch of asafodeita and add it to the rasam.

Serve hot with steamed rice and fried appalam(south Indian Pappad)

Vendaikkai Mandi|Lady's finger Mandi

Ingredients:
Green okra - 20 to 25 nos.
Onion - 1 big
Garlic flakes - 10 nos
Green Chillies - 6 nos
Tamrind paste - 3 to 4 tbsp
Raw rice water - 1/2 cup
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - finely chopped 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Gingely Oil - 6 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp

How to make Raw Rice Water:
Wash and soak 1/2 cup of raw rice in 3/4 cup of water for about 1 hour. This water can be used to make Mandi.

Method:
Add 1 cup of water to tamrind paste. Add turmeric powder, salt and hing to the tamrind water. Wash the lady's fingers and cut them to 3/4th inch pieces. Chop the onions and garlic into fine pieces. Slit the green chillies into half without cutting them into two.

In a shallow vessel, heat 4 tbsp of oil and fry the lady's fingers and keep them aside. Heat oil again and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the bengal gram and curry leaves. Add the garlic, onion, green chillies and fried Lady's finger pieces. Mix them thoroughly.

Add the tamrind water and mix well. When it starts bubbling add the raw rice water. Boil till the whole mixture turns thick in texture.

Lady's finger Mandi, Vendaikkai mandi is ready.

Eggplants in Spicy Gravy

I am so fond of eggplants and so are my kids. We love to have eggplants in any form. I got this recipe from one of my neighbour and when I tried it out, it turned out to be too good. It became a good rice accompaniment and also for chappati.

Ingredients
Eggplants - 1/2 kg (small sized)
Small Onions - 100 gms
Tomato - 2 nos
Big Onions - 1 no
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Red Chilly - 6 nos
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Tamrind Paste - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method:
Slit the eggplants into 4 (without cutting it fully). In an pan add 1/2 spoon oil and fry the small onions till they turn glassy. Add the curry leaves and red chilly to it and saute it for a few more minutes. Grind these along with coriander leaves to a very fine paste.

Cut the big onions into thin strips. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the ground paste to it and saute for a min. Add the slit brinjals to it and mix it well with the paste so that the paste gets smeared all over. Add 2 cups of water to the paste and add the tamrind paste to it and mix it well so that the tamrind paste gets dissolved in the water. Add salt and let it boil. When the gravy becomes a semi thick paste, remove from flame.

Decorate it with finely chopped coriander leaves.

This goes very well with hot rice and also chappati.