Category: No Need of Onions!!!

No Need of Onions!!! · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Vathal Kuzhambu…

Shoba8 Comments
Spicy yummy Vathal Kuzhambu
Spicy yummy Vathal Kuzhambu

What can I say about the Vathal Kuzhambu? Simply put its everybody`s favorite…I can`t even trace back the times when I  fell hook line and sinker for this amazingly delicious simple dish.  Every home has its own way of doing it and its definitely comfort food for them. Vathal Kuzhambu simply put is the delicious gravy got by simmering “Vathals” in tamarind water which is spiced with other ingredients like sambar powder, turmeric, hing etc. It`s also a very resourceful preparation as it derives it tastes from the  vegetable/vathal which its cooked in. There are a gazillion varieties of vathals but the ones that are most commonly used are “Sundakkai”, ” Manathangalikkai”, “thamara kazhangu”, arisi koozhu vathal” and some times even “thayir molagai”.

I remember going to my favorite Annalakshmi restaurant in Chennai on mount road for their “Preethi Bhojan”. I am told that the people who cook the various dishes in Annalakshmi are people who are from normal walks of life, like professionals, doctors, teachers etc, who willingly offer their services to the Ashram. At one occasion, where I had been to Annalakshmi for lunch, the day`s specialty was “Arisi Appalam Vathal Kuzhambu”. It was so delicious, as the kuzhambu had derived its taste from the fried appalam. Many people also prepare it with vegetables like Brinjal, Onions, Ladies finger and even drumsticks.

The Grand Sweets and Snacks has this amazing “Vathakozhambu Thokku” which is a boon to people who are hard pressed for time. All one needs to do is, scoop a spoonful, add some water, heat for a couple minutes on the microwave, and there you have steaming hot “Vatha Kuzhambu” for two!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Tamarind             – Lemon sized to extract 1 1/2 cups of juice.

Vathal                   – Any variety a small handful.

Turmeric              – A pinch.

Coconut Milk      – 2 spoons (Optional)

Sambar Powder-  1 spoon heaped.

Salt                           – 3/4 spoon

Hing

Curry Leaves.

Seasoning:

Mustard, Bengal Gram,Raw Peanuts, Curry Leaves, gingely oil.

PREPARATION:

  • Keep the vathals,tamarind water  and the seasoning ingredients ready.
  • Use a heavy bottomed vessel and pour in it 4 spoons of gingely oil.
  • When hot, add 2 spoons of bengal gram, and raw peanuts and saute it for 3-4 seconds.
  • Add the vathal and allow to slowly roast in the oil.  Immediately add the mustard, curry leaves and hing in split seconds.
  • Care should be taken so the mustard or any of the seasoning ingredients dont brown in the oil as this may alter the taste.
  • Pour in the tamarind water on to the vessel.
  • Add more torn curry leaves, sambar powder, turmeric, salt and give it a good stir.
  • Allow the gravy to simmer and reduce till it becomes a little thicker on medium flame.
  • If you have guests visiting, you could add 2 spoons of coconut milk at this point for a richer taste . This is purely optional.
  • If you want it to thicken a little more add 4 spoons of water to one spoon of rice flour and briskly mix it to dissolve any clumps.
  • Add this rice flour mix to the vatha kuzhambu and stir in to see instant thickening of the gravy.
  • Serve Hot with Alu Fry or Beans Paruppu Usili.
Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Poriyals / Kootu Varieties.

Avial – (Vegetables simmered in Coconut Yoghurt Gravy.)

Shoba4 Comments

Avial, a kerala dish, was always a favorite of mine.  There are many different ways of making this simple dish, but I love the way my grandmother used to make it. She had no methods and proportions, but all her dishes would be extremely tasty and very well done. I dont ever remember even a single incident where she felt that her salt was more or less or the dish was not well done. Her cooking was perfected over years and years of practice. As I lived with her during my student  years, I had learnt this dish from her first hand!!  Traditionally, Avial is made either as a side in a slightly thick form, or as a “kuzhambu”  form where its slightly more thinner.

Normally, Avial, is a choice when I see I  have a lot of leftover vegetables at the end of the week. It could be made with a variety of gourds and roots so its pretty versatile. Typically, its made with ash gourd, yam, potatoes, drumstick, carrots and raw plantains and some times even mango! . I am posting this simple recipe for the benefit of all my friends who have been wanting to try this for a long long time. In Tamil Nadu, people pair “Avial”  with “Adai” for a filling evening tiffin or dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

(ALL THE VEGETABLES HAVE TO BE CUT IN TO 1 INCH LONG PIECES)

Ash Gourd          – 1/2 pound.

Yam                       – 1/4 pound

Raw Plantain      –  1 Medium sized

Potatoes               –  1 Big sized or 2 Medium Sized

Carrots                  – 1 Long

Long Eggplant    – 1

Tamarind Water- 1/4 cup

Thick Yoghurt    – 1/2 cup.

Salt

Coconut                 – 1/3 cup

Green Chillis        – 6-7

Turmeric               – A pinch.

PREPARATION:

  • Arrange the heavier root vegetables like the carrots, potatoes, yam and plantains at the bottom of the vessel, and the more  lighter ones like the gourds and eggplant on the top.
  • Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder and pour the tamarind water over the veggies and allow to cook in the cooker for JUST ONE WHISTLE.
  • Do not overcook the vegetables as this would make them mushy.
  • Pulse the chillies and the coconut to a smooth paste.
  • Take a heavy bottomed vessel and move the cooked veggies to it.
  • Swich on the stove and  add the ground coconut paste.
  • Stir in the paste carefully to avoid breaking the cooked vegetables.
  • After simmering for 5-6 mins, add the thick curds and salt.
  • Stir again to mix in the yoghurt, add curry leaves, 3-4 drops of coconut oil and switch off the stove.
  • Serve HOT!! with Vethal Kuzhambu.
No Need of Onions!!! · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Milagu Kuzhambu (Pepper Gravy simmered in tamarind and spices cooked with baby brinjals)

Shoba17 Comments
Delicious Pepper Kuzhambu with whole brinjals.
Delicious Pepper Kuzhambu with whole brinjals.

I remember the first time I ever had it in my Mom in law`s place in Srirangam….She had made her special dishes, as we were visiting and when I had it, my senses simply shot up. It was all the more tantalising as she had used teeny tiny whole brinjals, to float and take in the flavours of the gravy. That trip I told her that I simpy had to have the recipe and she more than generously passed it on to me. Since then its been a favourite of mine, as it can be made as a spicy side for Pongal, to mix with rice, or  simply in its thicker form to take with delicious “thayir sadam”…I usually make a lot of it ahead so it is an inclusion to my husband`s plate almost everyday.

To all my friends in Enclave, here it is…to look up and try, whenever….

INGREDIENTS:

Black Pepper          – 1 spoon

Bengal Gram           – 1 spoon

Red Chillis                – 3

Dhania                       – 3/4 spoon

Coconut                    – 3 spoons

Hing

Tamarind                 – Ball sized soaked or eqv Tamarind Paste.

Brinjals                     –  4 – 5 small ones washed and cleaned.

Curry Leaves, Salt.

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PREPARATION:

  • First saute the pepper alone in a spoon of ghee and set aside to cool in the mixer jar.
  • Fry the remaining ingredients in oil, ie,  bengal gram, dhania, red chilli and finally add the coconut in the end just for a few seconds.
  • Add a  little water and grind all this  is to smooth paste.
  • Take a container, and add the required quantity of the tamarind paste and dilute. Optionally extract the tamarind juice and keep.
  • Add the ground paste, salt, turmeric, hing, curry leaves to the tamarind juice and keep on stove.
  • Slowly add whole small brinjals along with stalk in to the vessel.
  • Keep the kuzhambu on medium low and allow to simmer enough to reduce by one third.
  • Delicious Milagu Kuzhambu is ready to be eaten with rice or as a side for Venn Pongal.

Sending this delicious home made preparation to Think Spice Think Pepper – hosted by Dil Se of Divya Vikram and started by Sunita.

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Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Keerai Molagootal – Spinach ground with coconut and spices and cooked with dal.

Shoba6 Comments

Keerai-molagootal

Keerai Molagootal has of course our “keerai” or spinach as the main ingredient. Spinach being known as a rich source of iron and calcium would figure in our menu at least twice a week. Whenever Amma used to make it she would be sure that there would be no problems as my sister and me loved it so much.  Madurai amma would get the keerai from the vendor fresh that morning and she would not hear of me getting it ahead of time from the freezer in FoodWorld. She would take the previous week`s newspaper, spread it all over the dining table and painstakingly seperate the weeds from the “keerai” and then the next process would be to wash it in the huge collander.She would wash it and then hand it over to me to chop it roughly.as they were anyway getting ground.  Here all I need to do is to open the box of Organic Baby Spinach leaves and hey pronto!!! We would do it in Madras with the “molai keerai” or the “are keerai”, but I replicate this recipe with collard greens. spinach or even broccolli.   When I was pregnant with S, my amma and patti would make keerai for me almost every alternate day. But one never gets bored as there are so many sides to go with it!!!

Keerai Molagootal is best served with “Chenai Arachu Kalakki”, or Vendekkai Thayir Pachadi, or Vendekkai/Kathirikkai Puli Pachadi, or Kadu Manga Arachu Kalakki or Inji Pulikachal or plain Lemon Pickle!!! Its the most versatile, easy, delicious and satvik preparation of spinach. .In fact many of my non-tamil  friends here swear by it.. Of course they have found a way to rehash it with lots more red chillis, buy hey…to each his own!!! Here is the recipe for you to try and relish.

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach          – A bunch/A box. Can also use the aforementioned “keerais” or the collard greens too!)

Toor Dal         – Cooked and mashed – 1/2 cup

Salt                   – To Taste.

Jeera               – A spoon

Coconut           – 5 Tbsps

Frying:

Broken Urad Dhal   – 2 Tsp

Red Chillis                  – 3 -4

PREPARATION:

  • Clean the spinach and cook in the microwave/stove with a few drops of water for 4 mins and grind to a fine paste.
  • Clean and cook the toor dhal so its mushy.
  • Roast the urad dhal and red chillis in a spoon of oil till the urad browns and set aside to cool.
  • Grind the urad dhal and red chilli with the coconut and jeera with a little water to a fine paste.
  • Take the kadai and simply pour the spinach paste, add salt and allow to cook.
  • Slowly stir in the ground coconut paste and mix well.
  • After a few minutes add the mushy toor dhal along with the water. Mix well now with a ladle and make sure that the whole mixture has a sambar like pouring consistency.
  • Season in a spoon of coconut oil (optional) with mustard and broken urad dhal.
  • Serve HOT with Vadu Maanga or Vendekkai Pachadi. or Nelikkai Oorga.
  • Hint:

Since there is a lot of caution on using coconuts, please feel free to vary this recipe by slightly increasing the toor dhal and reducing the coconut to that extent. The consistency has to be maintained as this is not as free flowing as rasam.

Keerai Molagootal & Nelikkai Oorga.
Keerai Molagootal & Nelikkai Oorga.