Veppampoo ( Dry Neem flower) rasam

This is the recipe from my paternal grandmother. She used to make this awesome very healthy rasam  very often. I happened to watch her when she made this one time and from there I remembered this recipe to make it now.

Ingredients:

Dry neem flower                                                                   1 tsp

Tamarind/ Tamarind paste                                                    1 Lemon sized ball/ 1.25 tsps
Red chillies                                                                            1 nos
Mustard seeds                                                                         1/2 tsp
Oil                                                                                          1 tsp
Asafoetida                                                                              1 pinch
Salt                                                                                         As per taste


Method

1.) Extract tamarind syrup ( 2 cups worth) from the pulp. If using tamarind paste, dissolve it in 2 cups of warm water.
2.) Boil the tamarind syrup with salt and asafoetida for 10 minutes. Bring the heat to low and add 1/2 cup water.
3.) Add oil to a small heated stir fry pan, mustard seeds to splutter. Add red chillies and  dry neem flowers to it and mix well until the neem flowers turn black. Pour it on top of rasam and let it froth in low heat.
4.) Remove it from heat and serve it with rice and potato/senaikkezhangu/vazhakkai roast.

Kathirikkai ( Eggplant/ Aubergine) podi potta kari (Dry Curry)

I never used to eat eggplant until my mother in law made it this way. This is the most amazing kari that I have tasted with kathirikkai (Eggplant). Not the usual kind which for me was sticky-gooey kind.  It was unusual to see eggplant kari pieces as cubes instead of the finger-y kind. This is a very poor picture of a great tasting kari. I took this in a hurry.

Ingredients:

Eggplant /Aubergine                                                                           6 Nos/ 1 Nos
Salt                                                                                                      As needed

To temper

Oil                                                                                                        1 TBsp
Mustard seeds                                                                                      1/2 tsp

Masala Powder:

Kadalai Paruppu/ Channa dhal                                                             1 tbsp
Coriander leaves                                                                                   5 sprigs
Red chillies                                                                                           2 nos
Oil                                                                                                         1/2 tsp


Method:

1. Cut eggplants/ aubergines into cubes ( the size of the cubes should somewhere be between the size of sugar cubes and the size of the ice cubes)
2. Heat a stir fry pan. Add oil and add mustard seeds to splutter. Turn the heat to low.
3. Add the cubed eggplant/ aubergine/ kathirikkai  and quickly mix until all oil is uniformly coated. Turn the heat to medium. Add salt and mix. Let the eggplants cook. Mix occasionally (only) to ensure even cooking.
4. To make masala powder, heat a flat bottomed pan, add half a tsp of oil, Add the ingredients to make masala powder except coriander leaves and roast it. when the dhal/paruppu turns golden brown, add coriander leaves and roast untilit looses moisture. Grind it to a not so coarse but not too fine powder.
5. Add the masala powder to the cooked eggplant and mix well. Let it get coated on the eggplant cubes and get roasted. Leave it on stove for 10 more minutes and mix occasionally for even roasting 
6. Switch off the stove and serve the kari (curry) with rice and sambhar or rice with rasam and rice with curd or yoghurt.

Murungakkai (Drumstick) vengaya kari

I got this recipe from my maternal grandmother. Whenever I go there, this kari was one of the items that she would specially make it for me as I liked it very much. I used to devour it singlehandedly whenever it was made and she used to laugh at the way I eat this kari. Such wonderful times.

Serves  2

Ingredients:

Drumstick fresh/frozen                                                                5 nos/ 1 pack

Red onion                                                                                   1 large (2 if medium sized)
Salt                                                                                            As needed
Red chilli powder                                                                        1 tsp
Oil                                                                                             2 tsps
Mustard seeds                                                                              To temper


Method:

1.) If fresh, cut drumsticks into 3.4 th of finger length pieces.

2.) Add some water in a stir fry pan and add fresh/frozen cut drumsticks and boil them until drumsticks kind of turn very soft and are nearly breaking but should not. Add salt in-between when the drumsticks are 3/4th cooked  and let it cook until the above mentioned consistency. Strain excess water.
3.) Peel and dice onions as small as possible.
4.) Heat the stir fry pan, add oil and mustard seeds to splutter.
5.) Add diced onions and mix till translucent. Add just enough salt for the onions and red chilly powder and keep mixing until its evenly spread. Cook until the raw smell of red chilli powder goes away.
6.) Add boiled drumsticks and mix well. Turn the heat to low and let the flavours infuse. It will take five minutes. Mix well occasionally using a very light hand, careful not to break drumstick pieces.
7.) Switch off the stove and serve as a side with sambhar , rasam and curd rice.

You have to taste it to believe that something can taste and smell so divine.

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.

 

Dhal Bhanjari

Dhal Bhanjari is a rajasthani delicacy. It is a very hot and spicy dhal made of black split urad dhal served during the times of the kings and queens, espescially when the king comes back from a long hard day after hunting. It is too elaborate a procedure for making a dhal and drinks up a lot of your time to make it, but the end product is worth every pico second of what it has swallowed to be made. Just DEVOUR it!

Serves: 4

Time:  11/2 to 2 hrs

Ingredients

Black urad dhal split/ karuppulundhu udaitha paruppu                                    1 cup

Red onion                                                                                              1 nos
Green chillies                                                                                         3 nos
Ginger                                                                                                   4 inch piece
Red chillies                                                                                            2 nos
Clove                                                                                                     1 nos
Turmeric powder                                                                                     1 tsp
Asafoetida                                                                                              1 pinch
Red chilli powder                                                                                    1/2 - 1 tsp (                                                                                                       depending on your spice level)
Salt                                                                                                        As needed
Ghee/ Clarified butter                                                                               1 tbsp
Cumin seeds                                                                                            1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                                          1 tsp

Method

1. Cut green chillies to very small pieces, add it to cleaned urad dhal, add turmeric powder and asafoetida and water and pressure cook until, the dhal is completely cooked
2. Dice red onions as small as possible
3. Grate 2 inches of the 4 inch ginger piece and keep it aside.
4. Heat a stir fry pan and add ghee in it. 
5. Add cumin seeds to splutter, clove and broken red chillies to it and let it turn brown and add grated ginger and mix well until the raw smell goes away to a lingering aroma of spices. 
6. Add diced onions to it and stir fry until the onion turns golden brown in colour
7. Add pressure cooked urad dhal to it and add water and salt and mix thoroughly well.
8. Bring it to boil in medium to high heat and add chilli powder and mix well. Once it starts boiling vigorously, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 45 minutes. The more stove time one gives it, the more tasty it becomes. If dhal becomes too thick, add water and let it boil. Stir occasionally to avoid burnt dhal at the bottom.
9. Cut the remaining 2 inch portion of ginger to very thin toothpick-thick fingers and add it on top of the dhal just before switching off the stove. Remove from heat and serve it with hot rotis.

Vazhaipoo (Banana flower/ Banana Blossom) poricha kootu / gravy

Ingredients:

Banana Flower/Banana Blossom/ Vazhaipoo                             1 whole
Mung dhal/ Payathamparuppu                                                  1/2 cup
Ground nuts                                                                           A handful
Turmeric powder                                                                    1/4 tsp
Dessicated coconut powder/ Coconut Grating                            1 tsp/ 1 tbsp
Jeeragam/Jeera                                                                       1/2 tsp
Red chillies                                                                           1 no
Salt                                                                                      As needed


To temper:

Oil                                                                                       1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                       1/2 tsp
Curry leaves/ Karuveppilai                                                     1 sprig


Method:

To clean and cut the banana flower/banana blossom, if you have not done that before, please watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXHXwSLFnzE

Please use sesame oil instead of mustard oil on hands and do not peel the plastic petal... just the center stem for this recipe. Rest everything is the same. For a clearer understanding of what I say, please refer to the pictures below.


Banana blossom/ Banana Flower/ Vazhaipoo petals peeled

Remove the center stem only from each of the florets  ( These are the removed center stems)

Cleaned Florets

 Cut the florets as tiny as possible

Process of making poricha kootu:

1,) Clean and cut banana flower/ banana blossom/vazhaipoo

2.) Pressure cook ground nuts with water.

3.)  To 1/2 cup of mung dhal/payathamparuppu, add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and enough water to immerse it and pressure cook it

4.) Add  water to the cut banana flower/banana blossom/Vazhaipoo in a saucepan, just enough to immerse it and boil well until its soft.
5.) Add the pressure cooked mung dhal/payathamparuppu to the cooked vazhaipoo and mix it well and add enough water to make it as a gravy and let it boil for 5 minutes in medium heat. Stir occasionally at this point to prevent it from burning.
6.) Add salt as needed and some more water if the gravy has thickened a lot and let it boil for 2- 3 mins.

7.) Grind dessicated coconut powder/coconut gratings and jeeragam/jeera and Red chilli together to a powder or a paste in case of gratings. I have used dessicated coconut powder in this recipe. So it will be a powder. Add water to make it a paste.

8.) Add  this paste to the kootu/gravy and mix well and bring the heat to low. If the gravy is too thick, add very little water to make the consistency right and mix well.
9.) Let the mixture come to a boil in low heat, switch of the stove,  remove from heat and serve.

It goes very well with hot rice, as a side dish to rice with vethakozhambu and pachai milagai ennai kozhambhu.

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu

This is an elaborate kuzhambu, but is worth the effort and time you put in. It goes very well with rice and potato fry. I have always relived the Sundays this kuzhambu was made during my childhood days.  I am going to make it again this weekend too.

Ingredients:

Thuvaram paruppu/Toor dal - 1 cup
Red chillies - 2 nos
Asafoetida powder 2 pinches
Tamarind - A big lemon sized ball
Salt - to taste
Sambhar powder - 2 tsps
Oil - 1.5 tsps
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure:

1.) Soak Toor dal/ thuvaram paruppu  for about 20 mins
2.) Grind it together with red chillies, turmeric and  1 pinch asafoetida powder  to the consistency that you can take it in ur hand and roll it into a ball easily.... Its okay if it is not ground smoothly.
3.) Make the ground mixture into a balls/ urundais the size of a smaller lemon and keep it aside in a closed mixing bowl.
4.) Make a syrup out of tamarind and let the syrup be a lot watery than usual as it takes in a lot of boiling.
5.) In a wide large saucepan, add oil and heat it for tempering
6.) Add mustard seeds to split.
7.) Add asafoetida powder.
8.) Add the tamarind syrup, sambhar powder and bring it to boil in medium to high heat.
9.) When it is boiling, add some salt and let it boil for a minute.
10.) Bring the heat to medium. Then add the paruppu ball/urundai one by one. First add one ball/urundai. It will sink to the bottom. It takes a bit of boiling to come to the top. Only when it floats while boiling, take it out and keep it aside. It means that, the ball is cooked completely. Then drop the second one. If the saucepan is big enough to take 3 or more urundais/balls at a time, then u can do so. But it should not hit each other and break. Take care that the next batch is dropped only when the first batch is completely taken out and kept aside. IMPORTANT POINT IS DO NOT STIR WHILE THE BALLS/URUNDAIS ARE BOILING. IT WILL BREAK.
11.) When all the urundais/balls are done boiling, then put them all in together in the kozhambhu... by this time, the tamarind syrup should have reached the kozhambu consistency.
12. Get the heat to low and let the saucepan sit on the stove for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.

Paruppu urundai kozhambu is ready.