Lemon ginger rasam

This version of lemon ginger rasam was concocted (by myself) when I fell severely ill due to catching a stomach bug and flu. I had severe nausea for several days with very high fever until I had the first serving of this rasam. The first serving of this rasam proved that it is anti-emetic, thus restoring my energy back from a debilitated being. It was great in reducing my flu symptoms too restoring life back to normalcy. It is super easy and super quick to make and heavenly to taste.


Ingredients


Lemon                                                   - 1 big one
Ginger                                                   -  4 inch piece
Salt                                                        - To taste
Water                                                     - 1.5 cups


To temper

Oil                                                       -   1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                     - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies                                     -  4 nos broken to two

Method

1. Grate ginger.
2. Heat a saucepan on stove. Add oil and mustard seeds to splutter. 
3. Add green chillies and stir for 1/2 minute
4. Add water.  Add grated ginger and salt.
5. Let the mixture come to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and immediately juice lemon and add the juice to this mixture and mix well.

Lemon ginger rasam is ready to be had with just rice  or anything as side dish if you wish to have one.

Red chili paste ( Indian style)

Red chili paste is very easy to make and it gives a nice colour without adding any food colour especially in recipes like pav bhaji. I feel that it gives better flavor than its powder counterpart and the taste is delightfully distinguishable.

Red chili paste

Ingredients

Dried kashmiri red chillies                                                     30 nos
Water                                                                                       Just enough to immerse them
Lemon juice/ Vinegar                                                             1 tsp

Method

1. Add red chillies to a saucepan and add enough water just to immerse them
2. Add vinegar/lemon juice to it. Presence of acid helps extracting the colour from red chillies.
3. Let it come to a boil and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let it boil for 15-20 minutes in medium heat.
4. Grind it to a very thick paste. If there was any water left after boiling and if it is very little, use it in the paste. 

Red chili paste is ready to be used in anything that you want it to be used.

Mysore rasam

Mysore rasam is a delectable rasam that is very quick to make and have. I have some wonderful memories of my childhood days with this rasam. Delving into the details would be a good idea than getting bored reading about me. So,

Ingredients

Tamarind pulp/ paste                                                           1 lemon sized ball/ 1.5 tsps
Sambar powder                                                                   1.5 tsps
Asafoetida                                                                           1 pinch
Salt                                                                                      To taste
Water                                                                                   2.5 cups

To grind

Dhaniya/ Coriander seeds                                                 1 tsp
Red chilli                                                                           1 nos
Toor dal/ Thuvaramparuppu                                              1 tsp
Shredded coconut/ Dessicated coconut powder                 2 tsps / 1 tsp
Cumin seeds                                                                        1 tsp

To temper

Ghee                                                                                    1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                      1/2 tsp
Curry leaves                                                                         1 sprig

Method

1.  Soak tamarind pulp in hot water to extract syrup for 15 mins.
2. Extract tamarind syrup. Use 1.5 cups of water to make the syrup. If using tamarind paste, dissolve it in 1.5 cups of warm water to make the syrup.
3. Add sambar powder, salt and asafoetida to it  and let it simmer for 10 mins until the raw smell of sambar powder transforms into an intoxicating aroma.
4. Simultaneously dry roast dhaniya/ coriander seeds, red chilli and toor dal together until toor dal turns golden brown. Now add shredded coconut/ dessicated coconut powder and roast it until it becomes golden brown and remove from stove. Now add cumin seeds and give it a good mix. 
5. Dry grind all the roasted ingredients together to a powder. Add remaining cup of water to it and mix it with the boiling rasam. Bring the heat to low and let it froth.
6. Simultaneously, heat a tsp of ghee in a small stir fry pan. Add mustard seeds to splutter and curry leaves.  Pour it on top of rasam and remove it from heat.

Mysore rasam is ready to be had with hot rice and pretty much any veggie side dish or just plain appalam/papad.

Multi grain adai

I was recently into a "mode" where I was thinking about how to expand the nutritional spectrum to achieve a balanced diet every single day, if possible without the use of vitamin supplements, deriving what we need from what we eat. That resulted in formulating new recipes, modifications and adding new twists to the age old dishes our mom and grand-moms made. This is one such recipe.

Ingredients

Oats                                                                - 1/2 cup
Bajra (Kambu) flour                                      - 1/2 cup
Ragi flour                                                       - 1/2 cup
Wheat flour                                                    - 1/2 cup
Channa dhal ( Kadalai paruppu)                    - 1 handful
Mung  dhal ( Payathamparuppu)                   -  1/2 cup
Toor dal ( Thuvaram paruppu)                       -  1 cup
Green whole mung beans (Paasi payaru)      -   1 cup
Ginger                                                            -   2.5 inch piece
Curry leaves                                                   - 2 sprigs
Asafoetida powder                                         - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies                                                    - 10 nos (depending on your spice level)
Salt                                                                 - To taste

Method

1.  Soak channa dhal, mung dhal, toor dhal, green whole mung beans together for 3-4 hrs.
2. Simultaneously, mix bajra (Kambu) flour, ragi flour, wheat flour together to a thick batter . It should be of dosa batter consistency.  Let this batter remain like this for about 3-4 hours.
3. Soak oats separately for 10 mins.
4. Grind oats and the soaked dhals together with ginger, salt, red chillies, curry leaves to a coarse batter.
5. Mix this with the flour batter that has been left aside for 3-4 hours, add asafoetida and give it a good mix.  Adai batter is done.
6. Heat  tawa and make delicious multi grain adais.

If using whole grains instead of flout  (bajra/kambu, ragi ), soak it along with dhals and grind into a coarse batter.

Multi grain adais are delicious and superior in taste compared to the normal adais and very light on the tummy. They can be had with ghee, jaggery, avial, plain yogurt, butter, honey or anything you prefer to have it with. 

French green beans rice

This recipe comes under travel cooking/ one-pot cooking/ Easy cooking series. I have decided to give it the name salt and pepper series because, in the recent past due to back to back travelling (not that I am complaining here), I had to cook a lot but with very limited resources. I couldn't carry a lot of things and had to rely on just the local supermarket for resources. So what I ended up with is cooking with just salt and pepper. Most of the times I had access to only canned stuff and was a novice in that department. Now, I have explored that world too :) . So the ingredients will include canned stuff.


Ingredients

Canned french green beans                                  1 can
Salt                                                                        As needed
Black pepper powder                                           1.5 tblspns
Basmathi rice                                                        1 cup
Oil                                                                          1 tsp


Method

1. Add oil in the electric cooker and let it heat.
2. Drain the beans and wash it thoroughly
3. When the oil is hot, add drained and washed beans and mix well.
4. Add basmathi rice and add 2 cups of water.
5. Add salt and pepper to it and close the lid and let it cook until done.

French green beans rice is ready to be had with natural yogurt and potato chips (crisps) as side.

Tuvar lilva vengaya sundal/ Tuvar lilva onion sundal

When I was young, my mom used to make fantabulous mochai vengaya sundal. Mochai as everyone knows is very healthy and very rich in iron.  I couldn't find mochai in both UK and US so easily. When I found a packet of frozen tuvar lilva beans, I thought I could replicate the mochai sundal with tuvar lilva beans and it worked wonderfully well.

Ingredients

Frozen tuvar lilva beans                                      1 whole packet
Onion                                                                   1 large
Red chilli powder                                                 1 tsp
Salt                                                                        As required

To temper

Canola oil                                                            1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                      1/2 tsp
Curry leaves                                                         1 sprig


Method

1. Pressure cook tuvar lilva beans with just the amount of salt for it.
2. Dice onion as small as you can.
3. Heat a stir fry pan on medium heat and add oil and mustard seeds to splutter
4. Add curry leaves to splutter too. Add diced onions. Reduce the heat to low add required amount of salt for just the onion and mix well. Increase the heat to medium.
5. When the onion becomes translucent (like in the first 5 mins), add red chilli powder, mix well and add the cooked drained tuvar lilva beans and mix well too.
6. Leave it on stove for around 5 mins for the flavors to infuse. Remove from heat and the sundal is ready.

Tuvar lilva onion sundal/ Tuvar lilva vengaya sundal is great to be had as such as an evening snack or goes excellent with sambhar saadham, rasam saadham and curd rice too.

Mixed fruit jam

This is the jam that I made myself,  as I was left with half lb of strawberries which if I had left it for a day would  have become rotten. I would dive and delve into the ingredients straight.

Mixed fruit jam

Ingredients

Strawberries                                        1/2 lb washed and hulled

Apple                                                  1/2 nos

Plum                                                   1 big ripe one or 2 small ones

Sugar                                                  1 cup

Lemon juice                                         1 tblspn

Method

1.  Wash and hull strawberries. Cut it to small pieces.
2. Wash, peel, remove seeds and dice apple as small as you can
3. Wash, remove seed and cut plum
4. Add everything to a saucepan and add lemon juice.
5. Keep stirring on medium heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
6. Add entire amount of sugar to completely dissolve while stirring continuously. Let it come to a  full rolling boil again. Boil hard for 1 minute.
7. Remove from heat immediately and pour it into prepared jam jars. Let it completely cool down to room temperature. Jam will be set. Close the jam jars and refrigerate for later use.

The above jam is spreadable on toast and can be had with anything.

The below jam is my version of chunky mixed fruit jam. This consistency is achieved when the apples are not peeled . This below version of jam is great to be had with pooris and adais (south indian lentil pancake)

Chunky mixed fruit jam

Pagarkkai roast/ Bitter gourd roast / Karela roast

Pagarkkai/ Bitter gourd/ Karela was one of the vegetables that I won't touch when I was young. My parents used to make my life hell trying to get it in and so I got into the kitchen one day to innovate my own version of paagarkkai kari when my mom said that I will make it today. I wanted to include sourness and heat to beat the bitterness and ended up with this recipe. It turns out that my brainwave has hit many others before me and I found this recipe to be a common thing in other families too :)

Ingredients:


Pagarkkai / Bittergourd                                                         500 gms
Tamarind                                                                                1 big lemon sized ball
Salt                                                                                         As needed
Red chilli powder                                                                   1.25 tsps

To temper

Canola oil/ Refined sunflower oil                                          2  - 3 tblspns
Mustard seeds                                                                         1/2 tsp


Method

1.) Soak tamarind in hot water to extract tamarind syrup out of it.
2.) Cut and remove seeds in pagarkkai/bittergourd and dice it as small as you can, Take it in a stir fry pan.
3.) Extract tamarind  syrup just enough to immerse and have a whole layer of syrup above the whole of diced pagarkkai/ Bitter-gourd.
4.) Let it simmer in medium heat for around 15 mins until pagarkkai/ bitter-gourd is completely cooked. Now add salt, mix well and let it simmer for 5 more mins.
5.) Remove from heat and drain the tamarind syrup and retain cooked pagarkkai/bitter-gourd.
6.) Wash the stir-fry pan and heat it on the stove. When it is completely dry and hot, add 2 tblspns of oil and mustard seeds to splutter.
7.) Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked drained pagarkkai/bitter gourd. Mix well and add red chilli powder, mix well again.
8.) Bring the heat to medium and let it cook for 10-15 more mins, giving it a good mix every 2 mins. If you think you will be needing any more oil. add the other tblspn . It entirely is your judgement call. Turn off the stove

Pagarkkai roast/ Bitter gourd roast is ready to be served with paruppu saadham, sambhar sadham/ sambhar rice, rasam rice and curd rice. This is the most palatable version of pagarkkai that I have ever had.

Poondu kozhambu/ Garlic kozhambu

This recipe is from my grand-mom/ paati's kitchen. She used to make awesome poondu kozhambu on the days we used to have elaborate oil baths. Coming from a tam-bram household, garlic is not the daily ingredient in cooking. I used to hate the smell that comes from garlic and it becomes unpalatable when I think about body odor. I still have that problem. But if and when I  have to consume garlic, I can consume it only in two of the recipes. One of  the two is this. The other recipe is poondu rasam. I will be posting that in a few days and will link it here. People who do not like garlic for the same reasons as me, can try these two recipes and see if it is palatable (for you).  It smells really bad when peeling and starting to cook. But when finished, it is a lot more okay. It is a lot more comforting to think that I can still have garlic , but not sneaking it in every other thing .


Ingredients

Poondu/ Garlic                                             1 head
Tamarind                                                      1 lemon sized ball
Sambhar powder                                          1.25 tsp
Salt                                                               As needed
Asafoetida                                                    1 pinch


To temper

Sesame oil/ Canola oil/ Refined sunflower oil                   1 tblspn
Mustard seeds                                                                      1/2 tsp
Curry leaves                                                                         1 sprig


Method

1. Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 mins to extract tamarind syrup out of it.
2. Peel and cut garlic to smaller pieces if they r too big.
3. Extract about 2 cup fulls of tamarind syrup from the tamarind by adding necessary water to it.
4. Heat a saucepan on stove, add oil. Add mustard seeds to splutter and here comes the smelliest minute of the preparation. Add garlic and mix well. for a full minute or 2 to get it half cooked and get the raw smell out a bit. 
5. Add tamarind syrup, sambhar powder and asafoetida and mix well. The smelliest phase is over now. 
6. Let it simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Check if garlic is cooked and add salt. Mix well
7. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes and switch off the stove.

Poondu kozhambu / Garlic kozhambu is ready to be had with potato fry or anything that you have your mind set to. 

Senaikkezhangu kootu / Suran curry

This dish is from my m-i-l's kitchen. She used to make this awesome kootu/ curry and we would devour it and will fight for our portions like kids. It is a bit time consuming to prepare and cut senaikkezhangu/suran , but is well worth the effort!

Ingredients

Senaikezhangu/ Suran                                             200gms
Tamarind                                                                  1 lemon sized ball
Toor dal/ Thuvaram paruppu                                   1/4 cup
Turmeric powder                                                     1/4 tsp
Salt                                                                            To taste
Sambhar powder                                                       1.5 tsp


To powder

Kadalai paruppu/ Channa dal                                    1 tsp
Dhaniya/ Coriander seeds                                         1 tsp
Red chillies                                                                1 nos
Coconut shreds/ Dessicated coconut powder            1 tbsp/ 1 tsp

To temper

Canola Oil/ Refined sunflower oil                            1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                            1/2 tsp
Asafoetida                                                                 1 pinch

Methi seeds / Vendhayam                                         1/2 tsp

Method:

1.) Pressure cook thuvaram paruppu/ toor dal by adding turmeric powder and water.
2.) Simultaneously, soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes.
3.) Dice Senaikkezhangu/ suran as small as you can.
4.) Extract 2 cups of tamarind syrup from soaked tamarind by adding enough water.
5.) Heat a saucepan on stove and add  oil. Add mustard seeds to splutter.  Bring the heat to low. Add  vendhayam/methi seeds and mix till golden brown. Add asafoetida.
6.) Add diced senaikkezhangu/ suran and mix well. Bring the heat to medium.  Leave it on for 2 mins.
7.) Add the extracted tamarind syrup, sambhar powder mix well and bring it to a boil. Let the mixture simmer for 10 mins until senaikkezhangu/suran gets completely cooked.
8.) Simultaneously, take a flat plan and dry roast the ingredients given in the 'to powder' section until channa dal turns golden brown. Pls note that coconut should be added in the last minute of dry roasting. It should have a stove time of not more than a minute. Bring it to room temperature and grind them to a powder.
9.) Add salt to the senaikkezhangu/ suran mixture and let it boil for 5 more minutes. If it needs a little water at this time, add excess water from the pressure cooked toor dal.
10.) Mash pressure cooked toor dal well and add it to the mixture, mix well and let it simmer for 3 more mins.
11.) Now add the ground powder to it, bring the heat to low,  mix it thoroughly and let it come to a boil in low heat.
12.) Switch off the stove and senaikkezhangu kootu/ suran curry is ready.

It can be had with hot rice and appalam as side dish. This can be had as a side to rasam rice. It is a very fulfilling, excellent tasting dish and will definitely leave you satiated.

Milagu rasam/ Black pepper rasam

This is my mother-in-law's version of milagu rasam/ Pepper rasam. It is great for cold/cough fever days and a very easy one to make in very less time.

Ingredients

Tamarind                                                          A lemon sized ball
Salt                                                                   To taste
Milagu jeeraga podi/ Pepper cumin powder    1.5 tsps
Asafoetida                                                        1 pinch

To temper

Ghee                                                               1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves/ karuvepillai                               1 sprig


Method

1. Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 mins and extract 2 cups of syrup out of it.
2. Add salt, asafoetida to the extracted tamarind syrup and boil it for 10 minutes in a saucepan.
3. Add 1.5 tsps of milagu jeeraga podi/ pepper cumin powder to it and let it boil for 5 more mins.
4. Add a cup of water, mix well and reduce the heat to low to let it froth.
5. Simultaneously, heat a small stir fry pan and add ghee to it.
6. Add mustard seeds to splutter and curry leaves to splutter too.
7. Pour this on top of rasam and leave it on the stove in low heat for 5 more mins to froth.

Milagu rasam is ready to be had with hot rice and any vegetable or just appalam as a side.

Coriander mint chutney - Green chutney / Kothamalli pudhina chutney

This is the green chutney that we have it with idli, dosas, pongal and vadas. Please do not confuse it with the chutney that we make for chats. The below recipe yields an awesome green chutney, that will become a staple.

Ingredients

Channa dhal / Kadalai paruppu                                   2 tsp
Urad dhal/ Ulutham paruppu                                      2 tsp
Canola oil                                                                   1tsp
Mint leaves                                                                  20 nos
Cilantro                                                                        1/4 bunch
Fresh shredded coconut ( i used frozen -thawed and brought to room temp from deep brand)   1 cup
Salt                                                                              as needed
Green chillies                                                              4-5 nos depending on ur spice level

Method

1. In a small pan, heat oil and roast channa and urad dal until golden brown.

2. Add mint leaves and cilantro to it and mix well for a minute. Switch off the stove and cool this to room temp

3. Grind the roasted ingredients, 1 cup shredded coconut, green chillies and salt to a coarse chutney by adding little water.

Green chutney is ready!

Appalam vendhaya kozhambhu

This is my mom's favorite recipe.  We used to make it when we have a lazy day and/or when we do not have the necessary veggie to make a vendhaya kozhambu and have a hearty meal. But this reminds me more of the lazy afternoons. :)

Appalam vendhaya kozhambu

Ingredients

Tamarind                                                                                       1 lemon sized ball

Sambhar powder                                                                             1.5 tsps

Asafoetida                                                                                      1 pinch

Salt                                                                                                To taste

Ulundhu appalam/ urad dhal papad (with just cumin seeds only)           1 nos

To temper

Canola/ Sunflower oil                                                                       3 tblspns

Mustard seeds                                                                                 1/2 tsp

Vendhayam/ Methi seeds                                                                    1/2 tsp

Method

1. Heat a stir fry pan and add oil. Break the papad to small pieces and keep aside.

2.  Add mustard seeds to splutter, vendhayam/ methi seeds to turn golden brown and add the broken papad to deep fry.

3.) Simultaneously soak tamarind in hot water for 15 mins and extract syrup from it. 

4.) Add asafoetida to the oil and add the extracted tamarind syrup. Add sambhar powder to it and mix well. Let it come to a boil.

5.) Simmer it for 5 mins in medium heat, add salt and mix well. Let it simmer for 5  more mins. It will reach the consistency as shown below.

Appalam vendhaya kozhambhu is done and had be had with hot rice and any vegetable kari/poriyal.

Kathirikkai thayir pachadi/ Eggplant raitha/ Aubergine yoghurt dip/ Aubergine raitha

This thayir pachadi is usually done and had with both sambhar saadham (sambhar rice) and rasam saadham (rasam rice).  It can also be had with plain tortilla chips as a dip or can be made into a fantastic taco along with some bean rice or cilantro rice to give it an Indo-mexican twist. It is a very simple pachadi/raitha/dip to make and takes very little time. Now to ingredients

Ingredients:

Kathirikkai or Eggplant / Aubergine                                 1-2 nos/ quarter aubergine
Salt                                                                                To taste
Red chilli powder                                                            To taste
Curd/ Natural yoghurt                                                      1 cup whisked

To temper

Canola/ Sunflower Oil                                                     2 tsps
Mustard seeds                                                                 1/2 tsp


Method

1. Dice kathirikkai or eggplant/aubergine as small as you can
2. Heat a flat pan on stove and add oil. Add mustard seeds to splutter
3. Add diced eggplant or kathirikkai/ aubergine to it  and mix well.
4. Add salt and red chilli powder and keep mixing. Leave it on the stove for 4-5mins or so to get roasted and cooked , mixing it occasionally in-between.
5. Add this to the whisked curd or dahi/ natural yoghurt and mix well. Add additional salt if needed after tasting. 

Kathirikkai thayir pachadi/ Eggplant raitha/ Aubergine yoghurt dip is ready to be had with sambhar saadham, rasam saadham or with tortilla chips or as tacos with bean rice or cilantro rice.

Channa pulav/ Fataafat channa pulav/ Easy channa pulav/ Easy garbanzo beans rice (pilaf)

This recipe will fall under the travel cooking/easy cooking series. I enjoy travelling a lot. being a vegetarian, all these self-concocted recipes tried on spot and was an instant success come in hand to enjoy a hearty meal without missing home. These recipes require very little ingredients and resources to make it happen and will have very less or zero prep time. It will involve an electric cooker  and a spatula and that's about it. Now to the ingredients to make channa pulav/  garbanzo beans rice

Prep time :

1 min


Ingredients:

Canned garbanzo beans/ Channa                       1 can (400-500gms)
Canola oil/ vegetable oil                                   1 tsp
Salt                                                                 To taste
Black pepper powder                                        1 tblspn (or according to one's spice level...                                                                                      minimum 1.5 tsps)
Basmati rice                                                     1.5 cups


Preparation:

Open the can of garbanzo beans and rinse it in water.


Method

1. Heat oil in the electric cooker.
2. When oil is hot add the rinsed garbanzo beans/Channa and mix well with a spatula. Add 5 cups water and let it come to a rolling boil
3. Add salt and black pepper powder and mix it well. Add basmati rice, mix well and leave it to cook until done and the switch in the electric cooker trips off.

Garbanzo beans rice is ready to have it by itself or with a pod of  natural yogurt and/or  salted potato chips. It becomes a satiating, filling meal with wholesome goodness. Yes, I have used canned garbanzo beans here as I cannot soak and boil beans while travelling , but still a self-made meal is the most hygienic and nutritious meal that can ever exist for me, as we know/can control what exactly goes in it.

Noi upma

Noi is nothing but rice that is broken( while removing the husk and processing )and not whole. They segregate this while processing and sell it separately and call it as noi in tamil. My mom and grand-moms make upma with it which has a unique flavour and does not taste or smell anything like arisi upma. I have it by itself without any side-dish and it would taste out of the world, but it can be had with maagaali kezhangu oorugai (best and recommended) or vethakozhambhu. But the latter would kill the originality of upma is what I felt. This upma is a very quick upma that can be made on tiring days when we feel hungry and exhausted to make something on our own. This needs zero preparation and hence no prep time. It is so easy on the tummy, that it can be had on days when we do not feel upto the mark. Now, to the ingredients...

Ingredients:


Noi/ Broken rice                                                        1.5 cups
Coconut oil                                                                1 tsp
Ghee                                                                          1 tsp
Salt                                                                           To taste
Water                                                                         5 cups


To Temper

Coconut oil                                                              1.5 tsps
Mustard seeds                                                          1/2 tsp
Vendhayam/methi seeds                                             1/2 tsp
Red chillies                                                              2 nos broken into 2 pieces each
Asafoetida                                                                1 pinch
Curry leaves                                                             1 sprig


Method

1. Take a large stir fry pan and heat it on the stove.  Add 1.5 tsp of coconut oil and add mustard seeds to splutter.
2.  Add vendhayam/methi seeds and mix until it becomes golden brown. Add red chillies, curry leaves  and asafoetida and mix for another 30 seconds. Bring the heat to low.
3. Now add 5 cups of water to it  and bring the heat to medium. Let this mixture come to a rolling boil. Add required amount of salt and let it boil vigorously for a minute.
4. Now add noi/broken rice to it and stir well. Close a lid on top and let it cook for 15 mins or so or until noi/broken rice is fully cooked. At this time. it will be soft but not mushy and will retain its shape. 
5. Now add a tsp of coconut oil and ghee to top it off,  mix well, close the lid and switch off the stove. Leave it like that for 15 mins for the flavours to incorporate. I bet this will be the toughest 15 minutes of one's life as the kitchen will smell divine and we will still have to wait for the dish to complete. This 15 minutes is crucial for the taste and flavour to settle and is not optional

Serve this finished noi upma with maagaali kezhangu oorugai or vethakozhambu or best, have it by itself!

Cheat code - I live outside India and I do not get noi here, so I take raw rice and spin it in the mixie for just 5 seconds to make it as noi (broken rice)  ;)

Mor upma

This upma is my mother-in-law's original recipe. She makes it with arisi maavu/ Rice flour. I tried it with wheat flour/ godhumai maavu/ atta and it tasted great too.

Ingredients:

Rice flour/ Arisi maavu                                                 1 cup
Curd/ Natural plain yogurt                                              Just enough to make it to a stiff dough
Green chillies                                                               3 nos
Salt                                                                              As needed

To temper

Oil                                                                              5 tblspns
Mustard seeds                                                              1/2 tsp
Urad dal/ Uluthamparuppu                                             1 tsp


Method

1. In a mixing bowl, add rice flour/arisi maavu, salt, green chillies cut to very thin rings.
2. Add curd/ natural plain yoghurt little by little and make it to a stiff dough.
3. Heat a stir fry pan and add oil, mustard seeds to splutter, add uluthamparuppu/urad dhal and fry until golden brown. 
4. Add the dough and start cutting it to small pieces with the mixing spatula. Soon after adding the dough turn the flame to low and proceed. Roughly cut to 4-6 pieces at first and mix so that the oil has coated the surface. 
5. After coating the cut pieces with oil, increase the heat to medium so let it cook for 2 mins like that. Now start cutting it to small pieces. People who are familiar with tamil cooking will know about paruppu usili. The upma just becomes like a crumble and will resemble like a paruppu usili if the process is continued. 
6. Let it get roasted to golden brown. Switch off the stove and serve it hot. 

Usually this upma can be had as such without any side dish as yogurt provides enough sourness and green chillies enough heat. 

Now the same upma with the wheat flour/ Godhumai maavu/ Atta version

This version of upma just takes half the amount of oil and half the amount of time to cook, as wheat cooks in very fast and in very less oil for the same resultant output. 

Ingredients:

Wheat flour/ Godhumai maavu                                      1 cup
Curd/ Natural plain yogurt                                              Just enough to make it to a stiff dough
Green chillies                                                               3 nos
Salt                                                                              As needed

To temper

Oil                                                                              2.5 tblspns
Mustard seeds                                                              1/2 tsp
Urad dal/ Uluthamparuppu                                             1 tsp


Method

1. In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour/godhumai maavu, salt, green chillies cut to very thin rings.
2. Add curd/ natural plain yoghurt little by little and make it to a stiff dough.
3. Heat a stir fry pan and add oil, mustard seeds to splutter, add uluthamparuppu/urad dhal and fry until golden brown. 
4. Add the dough and start cutting it to small pieces with the mixing spatula. Soon after adding the dough turn the flame to low and proceed. Roughly cut to 4-6 pieces at first and mix so that the oil has coated the surface. 
5. After coating the cut pieces with oil, increase the heat to medium so let it cook for 2 mins like that. Now start cutting it to small pieces. People who are familiar with tamil cooking will know about paruppu usili. The upma just becomes like a crumble and will resemble like a paruppu usili if the process is continued. 
6. Let it get roasted to golden brown. Switch off the stove and serve it hot. 

Usually this upma can be had as such without any side dish as yogurt provides enough sourness and green chillies enough heat. 

The wheat version of upma is a little bit moist and gets roasted very fine too. So if one tries the rice flour version and finds it too dry for their palette, the wheat version is the greatest alternative. It is roast and crumbly while being moist, and to me has a great flavor than the rice flour version.

Keeraithandu puli kuthi kootu

This belongs to the puli kuthi kootu series recipes. Both my paternal and maternal grand-moms make a variety of puli kuthi kootus and this is one such nutritious, out-of the box, delicious recipe to enjoy for everyone. I bet that this will become a regular in your kitchen.

Ingredients:

Amaranth stems/ Keeraithandu - 150 gms
Tamarind                           - 1 lemon sized ball
Toor dhal                           - 1/4 cup
Sambhar powder                - 1.5 tsps
Asafoetida                          - 1 pinch
Salt                                     - As needed
Turmeric powder               - 1/4 tsp

Masala Powder - to grind

Toor dhal                             - 1 tsp
Red chilli                             - 1 nos
Coriander seeds                   - 1 tsp
Coconut shredded /
Dessicated coconut powder - 1 tsp
Karuvadaam                        - 5 - 7 pieces ( optional) *

To temper

Canola oil                            - 1 tsp + 1.5 tblspns for frying karuvadaam( if using) *
Mustard seeds                      - 1 tsp
Methi seeds/ Vendhayam    - 1 tsp
Asafoetida                           - 1 pinch



Method:

1.) Pressure cook toor dhal with turmeric powder and enough water.
2.) Soak tamarind in lukewarm water and extract syrup as done while making sambhar
3.) Cut amaranth stems/keerai thandu to small thin rings (less than half centimeter thickness)

4.) Heat a saucepan in low- medium heat and add a tsp of oil.
5.) Add mustard seeds to splutter, add vendhayam/ methi seeds and fry till golden brown.
6.) Add asafoetida and then add cut keerai thandu/amaranth stems.
7.) Mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes in low heat mixing well every minute.
8.) Add tamarind syrup, sambhar powder, asafoetida and stir well to mix everything.

9.) Let it come to a boil and allow it to simmer for 10- 15 mins until amaranth stems/keerai thandu is cooked, within which the raw flavour of sambhar powder and tamarind syrup would have been replaced by a wonderful cooked aroma.
10.) Add the desired amount of salt and let it simmer for 3 more minutes
11.) Add pressure cooked toor dhal and stir well. If there is not enough water, add very little to bring it to the consistency of a stew and let it boil for 5 minutes.
12.) In a small flat pan dry roast toor dhal, red chilli, coriander seeds until toor dhal turns glden brown. Bring the heat to low and add shredded coconut/ dessicated coconut powder. Fry till it turns golden brown. Grind this to a powder.
13.) Add this powder to the preparation and mix thoroughly. Let it come to a boil in low to medium heat,
14.) Add 1.5 tblspns of oil to a hot iluppa karandi or a  hot small stir fry pan. Heat oil. Add karuvadaams and fry till golden brown. Take the karuvadaams out of the oil. Drain excess oil and quickly add to  keeraithandu puli kuthi kootu. Mix well. *

It can be had with hot rice and potato/arbi (seppankizhangu)/ raw plantain (vazhakkai) fry.

Note

* Karuvadaam belongs to vadaam ( vathal) family and is made with just urad dhal (ulundhu) and  sun-dried. They are about a cm in diameter and add unique texture and flavour when fried and added to all puli kuthi kootu preparations. For me these puli kuthi kootu preparations are never complete without karuvadaams although it is completely optional and the kootu tastes out of the world without them too.

For curious readers and cooking enthusiasts, if you are interested in the making, I am planning to share the recipe of it in one of the future posts. I will link this recipe to that post too when I do it.

Usili upma

Usili upma is an unimaginably easy and a super delicious upma that can be made on tiresome days when one doesn't want to slog in the kitchen. Both my paatis used to make it and I inherited this recipe from my mom.

Ingredients

Rice ( white/brown sona masoori or raw rice)          - 1-1/4 cup

Payathamparuppu/ Mung dhal                                 -1-1/4 cup

Onion                                                                   -1 large or 2 medium sized

Salt                                                                       as needed

Oil                                                                       - 1 tblspn

Mustard seeds                                                       - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies                                                           - 3 nos

Asafoetida                                                            - 1 pinch

Method

1. Dice onions as small as one can. 
2.  In a pressure cooker, add a tblspn of oil, heat it, add mustard seeds to splutter , break red chillies to two and add. Add a pinch of asafoetida and add the diced onions.
3. Saute until onions are translucent. Now add rice, payathamparuppu/Mung dhal and enough water one would add for pongal (if one likes a little mashy consistency)  and salt to taste. 
4. Close the lid and cook it as one would for pongal (for mashy consistency ) or like rice if not. 
5.  Open the pressure cooker and  mix well as the onions would have come to the top and keep on mixing if to achieve a slightly mashy consistency and have it with anything from lemon oorugai, mangai thokku, molaga chutney to vethakozhambu etc., etc.,

Irupuli kozhambhu / Thengai (coconut) kozhambhu

This ambrosial recipe is from my sister-in-law. When I visited her in Mumbai a couple of years back, her mother-in-law made this for us. I tasted and told her that it tastes somewhat like a combination of vethakozhambu and morekozhambu. I asked her for the recipe and made the mistake of not noting it down, eventually completely forgetting about it.  A month back I remembered it and asked my sister-in-law for the recipe and tried making it. The  result was so wonderful that it earned a place here.

Iru-puli here refers to tamarind and curd (natural plain yogurt). This  kozhambu is also called as thengai kozhambu because we use a considerable quantity of thengai (coconut) and it kind of forms the base consistency of this kozhambhu.

Ingredients:

Puli/ Tamarind                                             1 lemon sized ball
Curd/ Natural plain yogurt                             1 cup
Thengai thuruval/ Coconut shreddings            3/4 cup
Vendakkai /Okra                                           5 nos
Vendhayam/ Methi seeds                                1 tsp
Red chillies                                                   6 nos
Salt                                                               To taste
Mustard seeds                                                1 tsp
Oil                                                                2 tsp
Curry leaves                                                   1 sprig
Asafoetida                                                      1 pinch


Method:

1. Soak tamarind in lukewarm water for 10-15 mins and extract tamarind syrup from the pulp
2. Cut vendakkai/okra as we cut it for sambhar.
3. In a medium sized saucepan, heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter. Add curry leaves to splutter and add a pinch of asafoetida.  Add tamarind syrup and cut okra and let it come to a boil. Simmer it until the okra gets cooked and then add salt to it.
4. In a flat pan, dry roast vendhayam/methi seeds and red chillies separately until vendhayam turns golden brown.
5. In a blender, add the coconut gratings/ thengai thuruval, dry roasted vendhayam, red chillies and curd and grind it to a thick paste.
6. Add this paste to the mixture boiling in the saucepan and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium low. Let the mixture simmer for 5-6 minutes. Switch off the stove and remove from the stove

Irupuli kozhambhu is ready and can be served with hot rice and potato/seppankezhangu//vazhakkai fry or kathrikkai podi potta kari.  This kozhambhu can be made with onions or drumsticks or potatoes other than vendakkai/okra. It is equally good when made with them too.

Ragi adai / Finger millet adai

Ragi adai is slurrrrppyyy and yummy like all adais are. Adai is my favorite tiffen . So adai and any version of it gets full marks from me all the time. I do not like ragi in sweets and as in kanji maavu as I generally don't like sweets and I wanted to infuse it in salty sour-ey form owing to its rich nutritional spectrum and for it being so rich in calcium. I came up with a few ideas and one such was to make adais.

Recipe 1 using wholegrain

Ingredients:

Ragi/ Finger millet (wholegrain)                                 - 1 cup
Thuvaramparuppu/Toor dhal                                         - 1 and 1/4 cup
Kadalai paruppu/Chana dhal                                         - 1/4 cup
Pachaipayaru/Whole mung beans                                 -  1 cup
Payathamparuppu/ Mung dhal                                      -  1/2 cup
Ginger                                                                           -  2 inch piece
Red chillies                                                                   -  12 - 15 nos depending on one's spice level
Asafoetida                                                                    - 1/2 tsp
Salt                                                                               - As needed
Curry leaves                                                                 - 2 sprigs

Method:

1. Soak Ragi/ Finger millet, thuvaramparuppu, kadalai paruppu, pachaipayaru, payathamparuppu together for 2-3 hrs
2. Grind the soaked dhals and finger millet along with ginger, red chillies, salt, curry leaves and asafoetida powder with water to a coarse batter like the one we grind for adai.
3. Heat tawa/griddle on stove and when the griddle is hot, pour a tsp of oil, coat it fully and then pour a ladle full of batter and  spread it to make adais.

Recipe 2 to make with ragi flour/ finger millet flour

Ingredients:

Ragi/ Finger millet (flour)                                            - 1 cup
Thuvaramparuppu/Toor dhal                                       - 1 and 1/4 cup

Kadalai paruppu/Chana dhal                                         - 1/4 cup

Pachaipayaru/Whole mung beans                                 -  1 cup

Payathamparuppu/ Mung dhal                                      -  1/2 cup

Ginger                                                                           -  2 inch piece

Red chillies                                                                   -  12 - 15 nos depending on one's spice level

Asafoetida                                                                    - 1/2 tsp

Salt                                                                               - As needed

Curry leaves                                                                 - 2 sprigs

Method:

1. Soak  thuvaramparuppu, kadalai paruppu, pachaipayaru, payathamparuppu together for 2-3 hrs.
2. Mix 1 cup Ragi flour/ finger millet flour with water to make it to a thick batter. Let it rest like that for 2 -3 hrs.
3. Grind the soaked dhals along with ginger, red chillies, salt, curry leaves and asafoetida powder with water to a coarse batter like the one we grind for adai.
4. Mix the ragi/finger millet batter with the ground mixture and let it rest for 30 mins. Mix well. 
5. Heat tawa/griddle on stove and when the griddle is hot, pour a tsp spoon of oil, coat it fully and then pour a ladle full of batter and  spread it to make adais.

Ragi adai is ready to be served hot with avial, morekozhambu, morekootu, vethakozhambhu, sambhar or whichever combination that one may like.  It is deadly when cut  onion is added to the batter while making adais. There can be various versions to it by adding different veggies. 

Keerai thandu molagootal /Amaranth stem molagootal

Keeraithandu molagootal is my f-i-l's most favorite. This is a very delicious recipe that I learnt from my mother in law. Enough cannot be stressed about how nutritious and healthy keeraithandu/ amaranthus stem is. It is highly fibrous and has ultra low glycemic load. This recipe is one among the wealth of ridiculously tasty preparations that can be made with keeraithandu.

Ingredients:

Thandu keerai/Amaranthus caudatus                    1 huge bunch

Payathamparuppu/ Mung dhal                             3/4 cup
Turmeric powder                                               1/2 tsp
Salt                                                                   As needed

To powder

Black peppercorns                                                                                  1 tsp
Fresh coconut gratingsor shreddings/  dessicated coconut powder                1 tblspn / 1 tsp
Urad dhal whole / Uluthamparuppu                                                           1 tsp
Curry leaves                                                                                            1 sprig
Cumin seeds                                                                                            1/2 tsp


Method

1. Separate the stem (keerai thandu) from the spinach leaves. Use the leaves for making spinach kootu or sambhar or in many other recipes that can be made with it. This recipe uses only the stem part of thandu keerai/ amaranthus caudatus.
2. Cut the stem into thin rings. In a saucepan add the cut amaranth stems/ keeraithandu and add just enough water to immerse it. Let it come to a boil.
   
   
3. Let it simmer until keeraithandu is cooked. Simultaneously pressure cook payathamparuppu/ Mung dhal with turmeric powder and water to a mashy consistency.
4. Add the pressure cooked mung dhal /payathamparuppu to cooked keeraithandu/amaranth stems. Mix well. Let it come to a boil
5. Dry roast black peppercorns, cumin seeds, urad dhal/uluthamparuppu, curry leaves together until urad dhal is light brown in color and emanates an intoxicating aroma.
6. Grind the dry roasted ingredients along with coconut to a powder and then add water just enough to make it to a thick paste.
7. Add salt to the boiling mixture and let it boil for 3-5 mins. At this stage if the mixture is too thick, add a little water to bring it to the consistency of a gravy. Take care it doesn't get burnt.
8. Add the ground paste and mix well. Bring the heat to medium low and let the mixture come to a boil. Switch off the stove and keeraithandu molaggotal is ready to be served.
   

Keerai thandu molagootal goes very well along with rice, seppankezhangu (arbi)/potato/vazhakkai (raw plantain) roast. It goes very well as a side dish to rasam rice. 

Vazhaipoo poriyal/kari

This is a wonderfully juicy poriyal/kari. Although cleaning and cutting banana flower/vazhaipoo is very elaborate and labour intensive, the process after that is very easy.

Ingredients

Vazhaipoo/ Banana flower/ Banana blossom                                     1 nos
Grated coconut shredding                                                               1/2 cup
Salt                                                                                                1 tsp or to taste


To temper

Oil                                                                    1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                    1/2 tsp


Method

1.  For cleaning and cutting vazhaipoo ( banana flower/ banana blossom ) please refer here
2.  Cut the florets as said above . Take  a stir fry pan add cut florets and add just enough water to immerse it.
3. Let it boil until the florets are cooked. This usually takes 10 mins. Add salt at this stage and let it boil for 3-5 more mins. Drain excess water.
4.  Heat stir fry pan again and let all moisture evaporate. Now add a tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds to splutter.
5. Add the cooked and drained florets and mix well.
6. Add freshly grated coconut shreds and mix well. Switch off the stove to serve it with sambhar, rasam and curd rice.

This is a very healthy, tummy softening poriyal/kari.  Add to it the mind blowing nutritional spectrum of vazhaipoo/banana blossom. Nothing can beat it!

Multi-vegetable kootu/gravy for poori / Mixed vegetable kootu for poori

For most of us Poori is with aloo/potato masala, but for us in our family, poori is with this multi-vegetable kootu. Such is the taste of this kootu and it goes awesomely well with pooris and chappathis. I do not know who conceptualized this kootu, but I have seen both my maternal and paternal grandmom make it and has been definitely carried on to their posterity.

Ingredients:

Cabbage                                                           100 gms (mandatory)
Radish (white long ones)                                   100 gms (mandatory)
Carrot                                                                75 gms (mandatory)
Green Beans                                                     100 gms (mandatory)
Beetroot                                                           100 gms (mandatory)
Onion                                                                  1 big one ( optional)
Mung dhal/Payathamparuppu                                 1 cup
Turmeric powder                                                   1/2 tsp
Salt                                                                  As needed
Ghee                                                                      1 tsp

Powder to grind:

Grated fresh coconut shreddings/Dessicated coconut powder                 1 tblspn/ 1 tsp
Cumin seeds                                                                                     1 tsp
Red chillies                                                                                       1 nos
Black pepper (whole)                                                                         1 tsp


Method

1. Dice all the veggies as small as you can as one would normally for kootu.
2. Simultaneously, pressure cook mung dhal/payathamparuppu with turmeric powder and water to a mashy consistency
3. Boil all veggies in a saucepan with water just enough to immerse them. Cook until soft.
4. Add the cooked dhal to it, mix well and add salt.
5. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes.
6. Grind all the ingredients in the powder to grind section, to a fine powder.
7. Mix them well with the gravy and bring the heat to low.
8. Let the kootu come to a boil. Switch off the stove.
9. Add a teaspoon of ghee to the top and mix well immediately for the most maddening aroma and taste..

Mixed vegetable kootu is ready to be had with pooris and chappathis. It goes very well with rice and papad and achar/oorugai too. When you make this kootu, please do make it in a large saucepan for a household, as it is had in huge amounts. :) We do not temper anything for this kootu.