Poricha Kuzhambu

              Poricha Kuzhambu is also called as Puli Illa (tamarindless ) Curry as tamarind is not used.This is common with the Saiva Vellala and Saiva Mudaliar Community.It is also a pathia kulzhambu and highly recommended for the women who have delivered as only pepper is used and tamarind and chillies are totally avoided.

Ingredients :

Drumsticks                                 2
Drumstick leaves ( if available )   1 cup
Toor Dhal                                    1 cup
Small onions                                 12
Garlic Pods                                   6
Salt                                               2 tsp
Gingelly Oil                                   2 tsp
Grated coconut                              1 cup
Turmeric Powder
Mustard
Curry leaves

For roasting and grinding:

Black Pepper                          2 tsp
Zeera                                      1tsp
Coriander Seeds                      2 tbsp
Raw Rice                               1 tsp
Channa Dhal                          2 tsp
Curry Leaves                         2 tsp

Method :

1. Cook the toor dhal in a presssure cooker.
2. Roast the ingredients meant for grinding in little oil till the pepper starts splitting.Let them cool.
3. Powder the ingredients initially without water.Then add the finely sliced small onions, garlic and grind.Then add water and grind it to a fine paste.
4. Take 4 cups of water in a thick bottomed vessel,add the ground paste,salt ,turmeric powder, drumsticks and the drumstick leaves.Mix well and keep on the fire.
5. As the grinding has been done in a mixi, the paste won't be very fine and while the kuzhambu boils,it may stick to the sides of the vessel.Take care to mix it well and see that it does not come out of the vessel.
6. Grind the coconut with 1/2 tsp. of Zeera in a mixi.When the consistency of the boiling kuzhambu becomes thick, add the ground coconut and the cooked dhal. Mix well and reduce the flame.Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the fire and season with mustard and curry leaves.The tasty Poricha Kuzhambu, very good for health and digestion is ready.

Notes:

• If drumstick leaves are not available, it can be left out.In case it is available,let us spare some time to use as it has a lot of medicinal values.
• Brinjals or Broad Beans ( Avarakkai - any variety ) can also be used instead of drumsticks or along with the drumsticks.
• Many people use the sambar powder for this kuzhambu but using the freshly ground masala gives the unique taste and flavour.Raw rica and channa dhal are added as thickening agents.

Coconut chutney garnished with onions

         Coconut chutney may be common but garnished with finely sliced small onions gives it a special taste and is typical of the people of Tirunelveli.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients :

Grated coconut                                                          1/2 cup
Green chillies                                                             2
Roasted channa dhal ( Pottu Kadalai )                           2 tbsp
Small onions                                                              10 ( to be finely chopped )
Tamarind                                                                   Small piece
Salt, curry leaves, little tamarind, mustard

Method :

1. Grind the coconut,chillies,salt,tamarind and pottu kadalai in a mixi.Let it be little coarse.
2. Heat oil in a tawa,add mustard, curry leaves and then add the finely chopped onions and saute them.
3. When the onions become golden brown,mix them with the chutney.

Notes:

• This chutney has to be taken fresh and better to avoid storing in the fridge.
• Those having coconuts in plenty and do not like the taste of pottu kadalai can use only coconuts.
• All the ingredients can be altered according our taste.
• One tbsp. of curd can also be used instead of tamarind.Tamarind can be soaked in little warm water for 5 mins. for easy grinding.
• Big onion can also be used if small onions are not available.

Plain Rava Pongal

         The recipe of this simple and plain version of the Rava Pongal posted by me earlier, caught my attention while going through an old recipe book.I tried that and it is similar to the plain Pongal without pasi paruppu but full of ghee,with its unique flavour, given as prasadam in some of the Perumal temples.The ingredients are a few without onions and garlic, can be offered as prasadam for our pooja at home.This quick and easy to prepare tiffin item comes handy on the days when we avoid onions and ginger.This has to be taken when it is hot.

Plain Rava Pongal

Ingredients:

  Roasted rava                     1 cup
  Oil                                     3 tbsp
  Finely chopped ginger        1/2 tsp
  Split green chilli                  1
  Salt                                    3/4 tsp
 Black Pepper                     1/2 tsp
 Zeera                                  1/2 tsp
 Ghee and Nuts                   Optional
 Asafoetida                         1/4 tsp
 Curry leaves

Method :

1. Heat the oil in a tawa and add pepper,zeera, chilli ,asfoetida,curry leaves and ginger.
2. When the pepper starts spluttering, add 3 cups of water and salt.On the boiling of the water,without reducing the flame,slowly add the rava and mix well.Now the flame can be reduced.
3. After all the water gets absorbed, adding ghee and fried nuts are optional.

 Notes :

• Salt can be added according to the taste.Oil cannot be reduced,as the water content is more.
• Less oil can make the Pongal sticky.
• The oil can be replaced totally with ghee for an enriched taste, if preferred.

Rice and Coconut Payasam

                         The credit of this recipe goes to my mom in law and my son likes this very much.This kheer has a good aroma together with the taste.

Rice and Coconut Payasam

Ingredients :

Raw rice                              1/2 cup
Grated coconut                     1 cup
Powdered Jaggery                1 cup
Ghee                                     1 tsp
Milk                                      1 cup
Cardamom powder                Little
Cashews, Raisins                  10 - 15 each

Method:

1. Soak the rice for half an hour in water and grind it in a mixi with the coconut.Do not make it very Let it be somewhat coarse.

2. Mix the rice,coconut paste with 6 to 8 cups of water in a thick bottomed vesssel.Mix thoroughly and heat it on the stove,stirring continuously.Once the mixture starts boiling, the flame can be reduced a little.

3.Constant stirring is very essential to avoid lumps.Five to seven minutes may be taken to get the rice cooked.If a spoonful is taken,cooled and touched with the fingers, the rice will be soft.

4. Add the jaggery and stir well.Let it boil in simmering flame.

5. Add the milk after 3 to 4 minutes.Keep on stirring for 5 minutes.

6. Roast the nuts and raisins in ghee and add. add the cardamom powdwer.Mix well.The delicicious rice, coconut payasam is ready. 

Note :

If you feel that the jaggery may not be pure, add a little water to the jaggery and heat it on fire just for the jaggery to dissolve.Filter and add to the cooked rice.

OMA PODI

                   Only those who have tasted this savoury can know what it is.Omam is a Tamil word for Ajwain which is very good for  digestion.Omam water is given to children, suffering from indigestion
and gastric problems.
                The preparation is very simple and the uniqueness of this savoury is the flavour of Omam.

Ingredients :

1. Besan Flour                 1 cup
2. Rice Flour                  1/4 cup
3. Salt                             1 tsp
4. Asafoetida                  1/4 tsp
5. Turmeric Powder       1/4 tsp
6. Butter                         3 tsp
7. Omam                        2 tsp
8. Oil                            2 cups

Method :

1. Finely powder the omam in a mixi. Seive the Omam powder. rice flour and the besan flour.

2. Mix all the ingredients well. Add water little by little and prepare the dough.The consistency of the dough is important,neither very rigid nor very loose.

3. Using the murukku mould and the perforated disc ( one used for idiappam ) take 1 tbsp. of dough in the mould, press in the hot oil.

4. As it is of a thin structure, it gets cooked very fast.Turn the side within 30 seconds and remove from oil after the bubbles stop.

5. It takes only about 60 to 90 seconds for one squeezing to get cooked in the oil.The total time taken is only around 20 minutes.

Ribbon Pakoda I

                     This savoury item was earlier prepared by me using more besan flour and less rice flour.
Later after tasting the pakodas made of more rice flour and less besan flour by my sister in law, Ms. Muthu Lakshmi,I found them to be more crispy and follow her recipe.

Ingredients :

1. Rice Flour                               1 cup
2. Besan Flour                             3/4  cup
3. Roasted Channa dhal ( Pottu Kadalai )     3/4  cup
4. Butter                                                 3 tsp
5. Chilly Powder                           1/2 tsp
6. Salt                                               1 tsp
7. Asafoetida                            1/8 tsp
8. Oil                                2 cups

Method  :
1. Powder the the roasted channa dhal finely in a mixi and sieve all the three flours.

2. Mix all the ingredients.Add water and make the dough.This must be of the right consistency,not very rigid and not very loose.It should be little flexible.

3. Using the murukku mould with the disc, meant for ribbon pakoda,press the dough into the hot oil.Turn it and remove from oil once the bubbles stop.This can be prepared within 30 minutes.

Note :

In the picture shown above the pakodas were made using the disc meant for Seepu Seedai.That disc is one of the six discs, sold with the wooden mould for making murukkus.Those wooden moulds could be got only from Karaikudi region in those days.Now they are sold in some of the stores in other cities also.The Pakodas can also be made with common Ribbon Pakoda discs.

PEANUT / GROUND NUT LADDU

                     This nutritious sweet, free from ghee and prepared with the common ingredients has its unique taste.This recipe was passed on to me by my friend, Ms.Anitha Venkatesh.

Peanut Laddu

Ingredients :

1. Peanut / Ground Nut                                   1 cup
2. Powdered Jaggery /  Karupatti                    1 cup
3. Dried ginger  powdder ( Sukku Podi)         1/2 tsp
4. Cardamom powder                                      1/4 tsp

Method :

1.Clean the ground nut ,free from the outer husk.

2. Powder the nuts in a mixi.

3. Add the powdered jaggery to the powdered ground nut in the mixi and then switch on the mixi for 1 or 2 minutes till they get mixed together.

4. As the ground nut is oil based, all the ingredients get blended together.Make them into balls. 

NEI URUNDAI / GHEE SWEET

                         This is a common sweet in all our families from time immemorial.The sweet is made of moong dhal,sugar and ghee.Yet only Nei ( ghee ) has become the name of the sweet.It is a rich sweet and can be prepared easily.

Nei Urundai

Ingredients :

1. Moong Dhal / Pasi Paruppu   -1 cup
2. Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
3. Ghee  -1/2 cup
4. Cardamom  - 4
5 .Cashew  -10

Method :

1. Roast the moong dhal in a thick bottomed tawa till it becomes a little brown or till it gives an aroma.Be careful to keep on stirring; oterwise it may get burnt.Let it cool.

2. Finely powder the roasted moong dhal, using the big jar of the mixi.It is not neccesary to seive.If seived, the flour becomes fine and the sweet may stick in the pallates while eating.

3. Powder the sugar and the cardamoms and mix with the powdered dhal.

4. Roast the broken piecce of cashew in a little ghee and add with the sugar,dhal mixture.Once again mix well.

5. Heat the ghee and add it to the mixture.Stir well using a spoon as the ghee is hot.Make them into balls, pressing firmly with the fingers to avoig breaking.

Note :

For the above ingredients, 25 sweet balls of 1 inch diameter can be prepared.