Kambu adai / Pearl millet adai / Bajra adai

Kambu/ Pearl millet/ Bajra is very rich in calcium and has a lot of protein too. My father always and always recommends me to use kambu in my kitchen often.  It helps in intestinal transit, it is rich in phosphorus and B vitamins , has a wider nutrient spectrum, obviously. I have always loved kambu/bajra a lot because of its unique taste and flavor. My grand-mom left many recipes of kambu to posterity. This is one among them.

Recipe 1 using wholegrain

Ingredients:

Kambu/ Pearl 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 kambu/pearl millet, thuvaramparuppu, kadalai paruppu, pachaipayaru, payathamparuppu together for 2-3 hrs
2. Grind the soaked dhals and pearl 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 spoon of oil, coat it fully and then pour a ladle full of batter and  spread it to make adais.

Recipe 2 to make with kambu flour/ pearl millet flour

Ingredients:

Kambu/ Pearl 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 kambu maavu/flour/ pearl 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 kambu/pearl 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.

Very tasty kambu adai is ready to be had with ghee/butter/plain natural yogurt/vethakozhambhu/aviyal /morkozhambhu/anything you would want to have adai with.

For a variation , dice onions as small as you can and add it to the adai batter and make adais for the mouth watering kambu vengaya adai/ Pearl millet onion adai. Pearl millet goes very well with onions. 

My experiements with brown rice - Epilogue

Part 1, Part 2


Not to drag on for much longer, I am trying and finding out brown rice to be more and more versatile  every day. It is proving great for thokku saadhams ( mangaai thokku saadham ( mango thokku rice) and nellikkai thokku saadham ( Indian Gooseberry thokku rice) are simply astounding!). Avakkai rice, thogayal rice (mint thogayal, coconut thogayal, peerkangai thogayal)  everything tastes  great!  Brown rice upma tastes great too.

The reason for me for writing this elaborate write-up (for some might have been boring too) was to say that brown rice is a very tasty option that is very healthy too. There might be people at different points in life for whom brown rice becomes compulsion than a choice. I have heard many say eating brown rice is an unfortunate circumstance, many placing brown rice inferior , many sniping it to be "healthy". I do not know why it has got such a reputation. But from my side, I would like to get the word around that brown rice is a superb gifted option, often surpassing the taste of its white counterpart and we all can gladly make a shift. Yes, it takes a few times before we cook the rice perfectly! But even the trial times are not bad! So happy Brown ricing!!!

Elumichai oorugai/ Lemon Pickle

Hundreds of lemons at one go, to deal with... I found a way.. to pickle it, that is! Slurrrrpp and yummm are synonymous to the sharp, hot, tangy lemon pickle's taste. What makes it even better?! The homemade goodness!

Lemon Pickle

Ingredients:

Lemon                                                                   3 nos ( big ones) 
Salt.                                                                       3 tblspns
Chilli powder.                                                       3/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder.                                               1pinch
Vendhaya podi/Methi seed powder                      1 pinch

To temper

Nallennai/ indian sesame seed oil.      5 tblspns
Mustard seeds.                                    1/2 tsp


Method:

1.) Cut lemons to desirable sized pieces and put it in a glass container. Juice is not to be wasted while cutting. Save it and add it along with the pieces to the container.
2.) Add salt and mix well and close the container with its airtight lid and leave it in the sun for 8 days and 8 nights on the counter, giving it a good mix with a clean spoon to prevent mold formation at-least twice everyday. By 9th day, lemons would have marinated enough and its thick skin would have softened because of salt and sun. Sun is a mandatory step.
3.) On the 9th day, add the red chilli powder and give it a good mix. 
4.) Add asafoetida powder and vendhaya podi as 2 separate pinches on top of it and do not mix. Let it stand on top of the pickle-in-the-making.
5.) Heat oil in a small stir fry pan. Splutter mustard seeds and pour the hot oil from the stove on to the top of the pickle and the powders on top of it. The powders will be roasted but not burnt by this method. Give this a very good mix and let the pickle stand on the counter open (not closed) until it cools down to room temperature. Store it in an airtight container. It is ready to have it within 2 hrs of making it. Or, it can be left overnight to let all the flavors settle and have it from the next day.


Lemon pickle made this way has a very long shelf life. Upto 2 years. Just make sure that if the jar is opened (pickle used)  already,  and  left  without using it for a week or so, give it a good mix with a clean spoon and store it back. Pls do not store any pickle in the refrigerator. It loses its flavor lil by lil completely and somehow the taste is not the same.

Beans poricha kootu/ French Green beans dhal gravy

French green beans poricha kootu/dhal gravy was concocted by my husband during his bachelor days. It is a very healthy and a very tasty recipe. When I first heard about this kootu, I underestimated it and didn't cook it for many years doubting about its taste, but when I finally made it,  I couldn't forgive myself for the lost time without tasting this kootu /dhal gravy.  I will delve deep into the recipe right-away!

Ingredients

French green beans                                                         250 gms
Mung dhal /Payathamparuppu                                        1/2 cup
Turmeric powder                                                             1/2 tsp
Coconut grating/dessicated coconut powder                   1 tbspn/ 1 tsp
Cumin seeds/ Jeeragam                                                    1 tsp
Red chili                                                                           1 to 2 nos depending on one's spice level
Salt                                                                                    As needed

Method

1.) In a saucepan take 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add payathamparuppu/mung dhal and turmeric powder and let it boil in medium heat until the lentils become cooked and becomesa mashy consistency. Or an easy way, pressure cook mug dhal.

2.) Simultaneously wash and cut green beans into 1/2 cm (approx) thick pieces.

3,) Add this to the cooked lentils in the saucepan and add a cup of water and bring it to  boil and let it boil for 10 mins until the green beans is fully cooked

4.) Simultaneously take the coconut gratings, cumin seeds and red chilis into a mixer grinder and grind it to a powder

5.) To the cooked beans and dhal mixtue aadd salt and let it boi for 2-3 mins

6.) Add the ground powder and mix well to incorporate. Bring this mixture to a boil in low heat.  Turn the heat off and remove from the stove.  Serve it with steaming hot rice with lemon pickle as side or this makes an excellent side dish for vethakozhambu rice and rasam rice.

Sukku (Dried ginger) kozhambu

Sukku (dried ginger) kozhambu (is a stew /gravy variety that can be mixed with rice and had) is truly an exotic kozhambu which will make you going for endless morsels of kozhambu saadham (kozhambu rice). This humble, uniquely tasting, yummy kozhambhu should not be made with any vegetable in it as it is meant to be had on a "tummy-free " day.  It goes very well with appalam (papad) , vadaam (vathals) and pretty much everything as a side dish in tamil/south indian cuisine. Sukku kozhambu is an ultra easy, quick, very healthy recipe to make on tired/bored/cold days.

Ingredients:

Sukku (dried ginger)                                                     2 inch piece

Sukku/ Dried ginger

Tamarind/ Tamarind paste                                                    1 medium lemon sized round/ 1 tsp

 Chana dhal/ Kadalai paruppu                                               1 tsp

Red chili                                                                                1 nos

Sambhar powder (Home made)                                            1 tsp

Black peppercorns /Milagu                                                   1 tsp

Salt                                                                                         1.5 tsp or as needed

To temper

Oil                                                                                          1 tsp

Mustard seeds                                                                         1 tsp

Asafoetida                                                                              1 pinch

Method: 

1. If using tamarind pulp, Let it soak in 1 cup of hot water for 10 mins and extract the syrup. If using paste dissolve 1 tsp of tamarind paste to 1 cup warm water to make the syrup
2. Heat a saucepan, add oil and mustard seeds to splutter, a pinch of asafoetida, reduce heat and add tamarind syrup,salt and sambhar powder, mix well, keep it on medium heat and bring it to boil.
3. Simultaneously dry roast chana dhal/kadalai paruppu, red chili, black peppercorns/milagu, sukku (dried ginger) all together until the dhal is golden brown in low heat and powder it.
4. After around 10 mins of boiling in medium- medium low heat, the raw smell of tamarind syrup and sambhar powder would have changed to a very pleasant and inviting aroma. At this stage, bring the heat to low and add the ground powder and mix very well to incorporate. Bring the mixture to boil on low heat and switch of the stove.
5. A very easy Sukku kozhambu is ready to be had with hot steaming rice and anything to go with it.

Vazhaipoo( Banana flower/ Banana blossom) puli kuthi kootu

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Banana blossom/ Vazhaipoo                                                         1 nos

Tamarind                                                                                       1 lemon sized ball
Sambar powder                                                                              1 tsp
Asafoetida                                                                                      1 pinch
Channa dhal/Kadalai paruppu                                                        1 tbsp
Toor Dal/ Thuvaram paruppu                                                        1 handful
Turmeric  powder                                                                           1/2 tsp
Dhaniya                                                                                           1 tsp
Red chillies                                                                                      1 nos
Dessicated coconut powder/fresh coconut gratings                         1 tsp/ 1 Tbsp
Salt                                                                                                   As needed
Oil                                                                                                     1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                                    1/2 tsp


Procedure

1. To clean and cut banana blossom/ vazhaipoo, pls refer to this link: http://vegfoodiescentral.blogspot.com/2014/10/vazhaipoo-banana-flower-banana-blossom.html
2. Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric powder and water
3. Soak tamarind in lukewarm water and extract syrup.
4. In a saucepan, simultaneously add cut banana blossom/vazhaipoo and add the tamarind syrup and water just enough to immerse the vazhaipoo/banana blossom , add sambar powder and asafoetida and bring it to boil , let it simmer until banana blossom florets are soft .  It takes about 12 mins. Add a bit of water. It should have a consistency of a gravy.
5. Add salt at this point and let it boil for a few more minutes.
6. Incorporate pressure cooked toor dal and let the mixture boil for 5 more mins. Keep checking for water to maintain the right consistency
7. Simultaneously, heat a small stir fry pan. Add a drop of oil. Add channa dhal, dhaniya seeds, red chili and fry until  the dhal golden brown. Add coconut powder/fresh coconut gratings, mix  and switch off the stove. Keep mixing until the coconut powder turns golden 
8. Grind this to a paste adding very little water.
9. Add the paste to the boiling mixture, add little water, mix well, reduce the heat to low and bring the mixture to a boil. Switch off the stove. 
10. Serve it with hot rice and potato/senaikezhangu/seppankizhangu fry.

 

Oats dosai

Oats dosas are the tasty delicious heavenly dosas made within minutes almost with no preparation needed. So it goes as one of the fall back dishes for me for emergency situations too.

Makes 5 dosas
Soaking time: 15 mins
Total preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Oats      -  1 cup

Rice/wheat flour - 1/4 cup
Natural Yogurt/Curd  - 1/2 up
Ghee/ Clarified butter - 1 tsp

Pepper jeera powder - 1 tsp
Salt                            - to taste


Method:

1.) Soak oats for 15 minutes with just 1.5 inches water above its level
2.) Grind it in a blender with rice/wheat flour yogurt and salt to the consistency of a dosa batter using the water that was used to soak oats.
3.) Heat a small iluppa karandi or satti or a shallow fry pan and add ghee to it.
4.) When ghee melts and is hot, add pepper jeera powder and fry.
5.) Pour the hot mixture into the batter and stir immediately.
6.) Make dosas :)

Oats dosas are seved with onion and coriander chutney.